Ai?
by Gaarazlilmiss
Summary: Gaahina fanfic Hinata runs away from home to train on her own in some faraway place so that she can prove to everyone how strong she really is! Gaara along with Temari and Kankuro are sent to bring her back, but does Gaara catch feelings?
1. weakness

Ai (love) ?

Gaarazlilmiss

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in Naruto, only this story and everything said in it.

Alright people! This is my VERY first Naruto fanfic story, which I, Gaarazlilmiss has created. I love the GaaHina fanfics, and therefore, I will be using it quite often, with some others possibly. Anyway, please rate and review, and I hope you like this story!!

Gaara : …Everyone in this place is always using me WITH Hyuuga. What ever happened to Uzumaki and Hyuuga?

Hinata : I-well…maybe it won't be so bad…

Gaara : (( glares ))

Hinata : On second thought…

Just experimenting!

Chapter 1 : Weakness

Hinata had just finished practicing with Kiba for the day. While Hinata was scarred and bloodied, Kiba was perfectly fine, with the exception of some panting. Akamaru stood beside Kiba, satisfied himself.

" Hinata, how do you intend to improve if you don't try anything different?" asked Kiba. He had been trying so hard to get Hinata to improve, but it was getting nowhere. "Are you too afraid?" he asked.

Hinata panted some more, whiping blood from her mouth. "Kiba-kun…I…I just don't know what to do…" she said. Hinata and Kiba along with Shino had known each other for a long time, since they had been chosen to be together in a group with Kurenai-Sensei. While Kiba was vicious and, in Hinata's eyes, powerful, and Shino was silent but at the same time a formable foe, Hinata found herself very helpless and weak, but even still, she always tried to win against the two males she'd been paired with. Hinata was now fourteen, and Shino and Kiba were both fifteen. It seemed she was behind in everything.

Shino looked over at Hinata and Kiba. "Hinata." he said simply.

Hinata looked over at him, those ivory eyes hinting she was giving him her full attention. "Yes Shino?" she asked.

"Rest. You should train on your own for awhile. Kiba seems to be giving you a hard time with the training." he said.

Hinata gasped. "But I can defeat him! That's why I keep fighting him." she said.

"But now, you can't do anything else. It always ends like this." he said, and stood to walk off.

"Hey!! She's got to learn how to fight like this! How's she gonna stand up to anyone else if I go easy on her?" asked Kiba.

"…Let her learn her mistakes in combat. When she thinks she's ready, she'll challenge you again." said Shino. He kept walking, not looking back once.

Kiba sighed. "That damn Shino!! Always trying to be the leader, and trying to act all smart!" he said. Akamaru whimpered a little at Kiba. Kiba looked down, like he knew what Akamaru was saying. "Okay boy. We'll leave." he said. He let Akamaru hop into his shirt, then looked over at Hinata, who was twiddling her fingers nervously. "Hinata-chan. Just don't worry about Shino. If you want, you can come back and train with me again tomorrow." he said. He then walked off, looking back at Hinata constantly. Although Hinata would be considered more of a little sister to the two, Kiba couldn't help but feel a slightly different attraction to her. It was different…something he'd never let show no matter what.

Hinata sat back up against a log, sighing sadly, and with a bit of relif. She didn't like being around Kiba when he swore like that. She knew he and Shino had never been on great terms, but it was such an uncomfortable situation to be in. Hinata decided it would be okay to skip a day or two, and train on her own. Even though she didn't want to admit it, she knew Shino was right. She'd get nowhere if she rushed into fighting Kiba again, with no more experience of her own than the last fight. She had to figure out something newer to do, something more her own, and less obvious. It was getting to the point where Kiba could predict her every move. She stood, and then she made her way towards the wire fence, broken slightly so someone could get through.

It was late, and so Hinata decided to go home, even though it was the last place she wanted to go. Her father still criticized her for being so weak, and her cousin Neji…that was more than she wanted to include. Getting back to the Hyuuga mansion, she noticed Naruto eating at the Ramen shop, and smiled sweetly as a light blush crept onto her face.

_Naruto_

In all his uncharmingness, he was still a very attractive person to her. She never quite understood why. "Naruto-kun." was all she said. She didn't want to interrupt him with her silly babbling. He always seemed to give her that same look when she spoke to him. The one when he thought she was crazy, because she never really spoke up, and told him how she felt. And Naruto was still oblivious to the idea that Hinata liked him. She passed by, occasionally glancing back at Naruto eating three, four, five bowls of ramen, and then when he was almost out of sight, waving his frog wallet in shame because he hadn't the money for another bowl.

Finally making it to the Hyuuga mansion, Hinata crept in, seeing her father ending his training with Hanabi. She was only nine, but her father considered her much stronger than Hinata, and Hanabi never passed up the chance to make fun of how much better she was than Hinata.

"Great job Hanabi. Go clean up." he said.

Hanabi nodded. "Hai." she said as she ran off.

Hinata's father looked at her. He surveyed her body, seeing that she looked like she always did when she came home : broken down, and wounded in various areas. "Will you not learn? How could you let him beat you?" he asked.

Hinata shook slightly then bowed. "Gomen-nassai!" she said. She gulped slightly, hoping her father would dismiss her soon.

"Go. Tommorow, you will not train with them anymore…" said her father.

The words hit Hinata like a bullet.

_You will not train with them anymore_

_You will not train with them anymore._

Hinata dare not let a tear fall from her eyes as she quickly stood up, and ran off towards her room.

"As always, she's getting no praise from father." said Hanabi as she smirked in the hallway.

Hinata ignored her and kept running. She was always hurting like this. Shino's words ran through her head. So did her fathers. She stood up boldly. "That's it…" she said. "I WILL train on my own. And it won't be here." she said as she ran upstairs. Tommorow morning, her plan would commence.

The next morning when Hinata woke up, it was only three o'clock in the morning. No one was up at this time, with the exception of some jounin. They didn't notice anything funny. Hinata had a large bag on her shoulder today. It was filled with food, two sets of clothing, another pair of ninja shoes, some ninja weapons, and…a picture of Uzumaki Naruto. She kept this small picture of him with her because it gave her strength. It was what made her want to try harder. Ever since her battle with Neji, Hinata realized that Naruto was what had ushered her to try so hard, and she almost won too. That was enough for Naruto. Hinata walked out the gates past two sleeping jounin (OoOoOoOo!!) Then towards some woods. She breathed out a little. Today was the day. She wouldn't return until she felt she was ready. "I am going to be much stronger when I come back." she said to herself.

( On the other side )

Sand whirled around the village of hidden sand. It wasn't uncommon to have such severe sand storms in the area. Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara had been summoned to the council's office despite the awful weather.

"Alright. We've recived a request for your help in Konoha. They say they've got a missing genin named Hinata. She's been missing for about 2 days, and no one can find her, AT ALL." said the leading council member. "You three are to track her down. You all know about the Hyuuga clan, right?" asked the council member.

Temari and Kankuro nodded. Gaara just kept listening.

"Well, she's Hyuuga Hinata." said the council member.

"Ah. So we just have to find her? Why can't they do it on their own? Seems pretty trivial to me." said Kankuro.

"I don't know. They seem to be taking it pretty serious to summon our help though. " said the council member. "You should be heading off now." he finished.

Temari and Kankuro nodded, and then all three turned around and left.

"This really isn't my kind of mission." said Temari closing her eyes and folding her hands behind her head.

"I agree. Why would a Hyuuga run off like that?" Kankuro wondered.

"She's weak." said Gaara.

The other two siblings turned to him.

"At the Chuunin exams, she displayed nothing but weakness. That is more than likely the reason she fled. She has nothing but weakness about her and can't handle the life as a ninja." he said. He didn't seem the least concerned about why she fled. He simply came to the conclusion himself, figuring logically that from what he had seen of her, she was nothing but weakness itself, and therefore would lead to her strange act to run away.

Temari shrugged. "Well…maybe. She wasn't all that impressive." she said. Temari grinned. "At least not as great as we were in those exams." she finished smiling at Gaara.

In return, he sent her an emotionless looking face. "Your victory wasn't that impressive either." he said.

Temari took that as a sign to shut up, and quietly walked off with Kankuro and Gaara saying nothing else about the mission.

Gaarazlilmiss : So what do you all think? It's only the beginning, so none of the love stuff'll start too soon. We've got to build up to that. And since I prefer Gaara's old side more…well…I think you understand. But yeah, next chapter, Gaara and Hinata meet!! Yup!

Hinata : I'm going to meet him? You mean face to face? ((faints))

Gaara : That's what I was talking about in this chapter. You see what she does?

Gaarazlilmiss : Um…clears throat Ja ne!

Gaara : You didn't answer me…


	2. cold meeting

Ai (love) ?

Gaarazlilmiss

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in Naruto, only this story and everything said in it.

Well, here we are again! Before I summarize, I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed chapter one of this story! This is chapter two of my fanfic about Gaara and Hinata! In this chapter, Gaara and Hinata will meet, Neji will endure Kiba's strange worry frenzy, and Naruto will act like…Naruto. Rash, and weird. Well, here we go!

Hinata : Naruto-Kun isn't that weird! He's…well I…He's just Naruto

Gaarazlilmiss : My point exactly

Gaara : Why don't you stop writing this? Since when have you known me to even talk to Hinata?

Gaarazlilmiss : My point for writing this story! Now, play your parts!!

Gaara and Hinata : ((sigh))

Chapter 2 : Cold meeting

Kiba, Shino, Naruto, Sakura, and Neji had all been summoned to the Hokage's office. This was the third day, NO ONE had heard, nor seen anything of Hinata. No note was left, no clues. She left only the emptiness no one thought they'd feel when she left. Strangely, Kiba seemed to be taking it the hardest. He stood there, his face determined.

_Today we'll find Hinata! I know it!_

He thought. Shino looked over at him, his facial expressions unchanged. "Your worrying about Hinata. That's something new." he said.

Kiba growled at him. "It's not that I really care all that much! I mean, she might just be training like you said she should do." said Kiba. Akamaru barked in agreement.

Naruto turned around, a grin spread across his face. "Ah, Kiba. Admit it! You're head over heels for Hinata!!" he said as he laughed.

Sakura rolled her eyes at Naruto.

_Why can't he just be quiet for once in his life?_

She thought. To stop his annoying laughter, she hit him twice in the head, leaving two large knots. "THIS ISN'T THE TIME TO BE GOOFING OFF NARUTO!! We don't know what's happened to Hinata!" she said.

Naruto grabbed his head. "Oww…Sakura-chan…why?" he asked.

"Humph. Serves you right." said Kiba.

Neji stood in a corner by himself. He honestly didn't care where Hinata went to. Deep down inside, even though he never admitted it, he felt threatened by Hinata. Ever since the Chuunin exams, he found out just how much power Hinata could channel. She had almost beat him.

_Almost…_

He thought. But he had wanted her to suffer, to see just how much weaker than him she was, and all he had done was discovered Hinata wasn't too many steps behind. She just didn't have the confidence to unlock that hidden power. Looking over at Kiba, he felt disgusted.

_How could he attach himself to someone like her?_

He thought. It was obvious to Neji how Kiba felt for Hinata.

Finally, after much waiting, the hokage stepped in with Kurenai -Sensei. Tsunade smiled slightly at the bunch, all with concerned expressions on their faces. "Now that everyone is here…" she said, her face returning to normal, "This is what's happening. We have asked the Sand Ninja's for help. They are currently searching for Hinata. Now you all will venture out of Konoha, and find where our Hinata has gone to." said Tsunade. "This is a B ranked mission because you will all be venturing outside of Konoha to distant lands. Not just the small countries around here. Seems as though she's nowhere nearby, otherwise, someone would have notified us." said Tsunade. "Hinata's not exactly one to be looked over. She is very easy to spot." she finished.

Everyone nodded.

"Don't worry granny Tsunade, I'll bring Hinata back, belive it!" Naruto said with a determined smile on his face.

Tsunade smiled. "And Sakura…" she said

Sakura looked up at Tsunade. "Yes?" she asked

"Please keep Naruto in line…" she said closing her eyes and shooing them out.

Sakura smiled evilly. "Will do…" Sakura said deviously as she popped her knuckles.

Naruto gulped. "Um, Sakura…-c-chan?"

(On the other side)

Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro walked in a wilderness vaster than the sand village by far. They'd been on this mission for a long time, Temari and Kankuro hardly sleeping (You all should know about Gaara and why I hadn't mentioned him.)

"This is frustrating! The mission is so vague! She could be anywhere. We might even be looking in the wrong direction!" said Temari.

"Well, in the villages we've looked in so far, some lady said she saw her around here somewhere. She said she seemed to fit our description." said Kankro.

Temari sighed. "Your right. No one else has the Hyuuga eyes." said Temari. "But this is still getting nowhere fast. Maybe we should split up and search for her. We'll get back together soon enough." said Temari.

Kankuro nodded. "Sounds good." he said. They both looked over at Gaara hoping he might answer. When he didn't, they assumed it was okay. Both jumped off, out of site, and in completely different directions.

Gaara hesitated, but began to walk. Even he had to admit that this could be hard. Then he heard something. Sounded like someone hitting wood. He walked slowly over, keeping as quiet as possible.

"Hyah!" Hinata said as she threw another gentle strike at the small tree in front of her. The tree had a bare white spot on it, the spot where Hinata had been hitting it for so long.

Gaara's eyes widened briefly. Judging by how light Hinata was hitting the tree, and by the thickness of the bark, Gaara figured she'd been at this for a long time. Her breathing patterns hinted exhaustion, and her stance was growing weaker and weaker, even if by a little, every time she struck the tree. Finally Hinata sat on the ground, breathing heavily. "One- thousand gentle strikes…" she said. She then laid on the ground, her hands slightly blistered from hitting the tree so long. "This is just the beginning." she said.

Gaara didn't move.

_Why?_

He asked himself. Even though she knew she might still be getting nowhere with no sucsess, she kept trying. He couldn't comprehend it. It just didn't make sense. "Hyuuga." he finally said.

Hinata jumped up, taking on an offensive position. "W-who's there?" she asked.

Gaara stepped out slowly. His face was the same as always, although in his head, he was deeply confused.

_Practicing even though you know you won't have any success…it's foolish._

He thought again.

Hinata was still panting from her training. She had her hand close to her back pouch, ready to draw a dagger and fling it at him.

Gaara narrowed his eyes.

_She's threatened by me…she's rejecting me, like everybody else, and I haven't done anything…not yet._

He thought. Those thoughts started coming back to mind. Killing, destroying anyone who rejected him. Even with all those feelings welling up inside him, he still managed to stay somewhat calm. "Are you threatened by me?" he asked cooly.

Hinata looked at him. Yes, this was him. Sabaku no Gaara, Gaara of the desert. He's the one that hurt Lee, and he's the one who everyone feared. When she first saw him, she was with Kiba and Shino. They had seen him murder two ninja with their own eyes, and he didn't seem to even care. Shikamaru told them also, that he and Naruto had seen him murder someone else right before he battled Sasuke. This was that guy. With his shaggy red hair, those dark eyes hinting his insomnia and the symbol, ai, clearly etched out in blood on his forehead. The gourd on his back. The icy sky blue eyes…it frightened Hinata to the point where she was shaking violently, without any success at trying to control it.

"…Well…" Gaara asked patiently.

"I'm-I…well…" she said. She lowered her hands, and Gaara's eyes followed the movement.

"It's a simple question. And I think you are." he said staring at her, his eyes not moving from hers.

Hinata felt herself get chills, and her skin went pale.

"You are Gaara. Sabaku no Gaara,…right?" she asked quietly.

"I am. And you are Hyuuga Hinata." he said.

"H-hai." Hinata answered looking away from him.

_Why is he here? What does he want with me?_

Hinata thought.

"Why are you here Hyuuga?" Gaara asked. He had his own conclusion, but he just wanted to know the actual reason.

Hinata twiddled her fingers a bit, "I'm…training." she said simply.

"Why so far away?"

"Because…" Hinata said, "I…I feel I s-should be farther away from K-konoha to t-train." she said.

Gaara studied her for a second. He saw her body tense, and her face was full of fear. She hadn't made another offensive guesture, but he could tell she was thinking about it.

"Why are you here Gaara-kun?" she asked quietly.

"…" Gaara didn't answer. He didn't want to say "Looking for you." it just didn't come out. Instead…"I'm training too." he said.

"But why would you need to? You…you have that unique power. I didn't think you-"

"No matter what your power is…" Gaara began moving closer. Hinata moved slowly back which Gaara noticed. He stopped halfway. "You must always be ready to defend yourself." he said. "Training is a part of that."

Hinata was slightly surprised by Gaara's statement. Here she was, Hinata, talking to Gaara. That same guy that had caused so much trouble. It was almost frightening to think about.

"Show me what you do when you train." Gaara said simply.

"W-what?" she asked.

"Show me what you do when you train." Gaara repeated himself.

"Oh. Um…o-okay." Hinata said. Her nervousness was interfering with her composure, and it made it a bit harder to take on her stance. She faced the tree again, preparing herself.

Suddenly, Gaara and Hinata both heard something. "GAARA!! Gaara, are you anywhere around here!?" Temari called.

Gaara grimaced slightly as he turned to face the noise. "Maybe some other time." said Gaara. He walked off slowly, leaving Hinata in those tangled woods. Hinata was dumbfounded. What had just happened?

When Gaara had ment back up with Temari and Kankuro, Kankuro immediately asked, "Did you find the Hyuuga girl?"

Gaara looked as though he were thinking. "…No." he said finally.

Temari sighed. "No luck anywhere…" she said. She noticed Gaara looking a bit different than usual. His eyes, instead of being blank and uncaring looked almost thoughtful. Kankuro also noticed this as they both looked at their younger brother. Almost as if he sensed them looking at him, he went back to himself. "Let's go." he said. The three began walking.

_Hyuuga…why? You confuse me, and…amaze me._

He thought. He was surprised by his choice of words to describe the meeting. How was he amazed? What was it that made him see her differently?

Alright! Chapter two is officially over! Please rate and review this one too, and keep an eye out for chapter three!

Gaara : When I'm through with you, there won't be a chapter three.

Hinata : ((blushing)) : I don't like this chapter…

Gaarazlilmiss : Gaara, please don't hurt me…

Gaara : …

Gaarazlilmiss :Um, see ya!


	3. New emotions

Ai (love) ?

Gaarazlilmiss

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in Naruto, only this story and everything said in it.

Chapter three is here! In this chapter, Naruto and his gang will begin their long and dead-ended journey to finding Hinata, Gaara and Hinata will meet once more, and….well that's all I'll say about that, and Temari and Kankuro will be spying on Gaara to find out why he's acting so unusual!

Gaara : Wait, you'd better say what Hinata and I are doing! ((threatens))

Hinata : Um, a-actually Gaara-kun…maybe we don't want to know… ((says it cautiously))

Gaara : Maybe your right about this Hyuuga.

Gaarazlilmiss : Whether you like it or not, it's gonna happen!

Chapter 3 : New emotions

Hinata sat alone in those woods. She was tired. Very tired, and slightly bewildered. What had just taken place was something she never in a million years thought would happen. "Gaara-Kun…he…" she said. She didn't know if he was being himself, or maybe a tad bit different. His expressions hinted anger, but his words were more helpful and his last offer…was he going to help her train? It began to sprinkle lightly and Hinata decided that her idea to stay in the forest wasn't going to be so wise afterall. She started making her way out to where she remembered a small village to be. "Surely they have an inn." she said.

(On the other side)

Gaara and his teammates had made it to a small village just outside the forest. It was sprinkling, and it was dark. As Gaara and his teammates passed by some people, they eyed Gaara with frightened looks in their eyes, but they dare not say anything. It irritated Gaara, although he didn't let is show. He kept walking, not once glancing at the people even though he knew they were looking at him.

Temari leaned over and whispered to Kankuro, "Kankuro, he doesn't need to be out here much longer…"

Kankuro nodded. He looked around and saw a small building, and although it wasn't the best, it would do, at least, to keep Gaara from attacking anyone who was crazy enough to look at him funny, and much less say something. "We'll go in here." said Kankuro.

Gaara looked over at the building. "What use would it be to stay here?" he asked.

"It's an inn, Gaara, it's shelter." said Temari.

"…Oh. I see. You both want to make sure no one dies tonight." he said.

Temari looked at Gaara, a bit frightened but not enough to where Gaara would get angered.

"Go." said Gaara.

"What about-"

"I'm not going in there." he said. He was going somewhere else. He didn't want to stay in that place. After all, of what use was it to him?

Temari looked at Kankuro, noting to him that something seemed odd. They'd stayed in inns before, and Gaara never once protested. He might state that he thought the idea wasn't needed, but he never once said he wouldn't go in. Temari nodded. "Fine Gaara." she said. Then she and Kankuro entered the inn.

"Kankuro, have you noticed how Gaara's been acting since we split up to search for Hyuuga?" she asked him.

Kankuro nodded his head. "Yeah. It's really strange. Maybe we should follow him. We won't leave this village without damage being done anyway if we're not with him." he said. Temari nodded and the two immediately left the inn.

(Naruto and the rest)

Naruto, Neji, Sakura, Kiba, and Shino had all exited Konoha and were heading down a dirt path.

Naruto squinched his eyes up, and put his hands behind his head. "Anyone have any idea WHY hinata left?" he asked.

"No clue." said Sakura.

Shino, Kiba, and Neji were all quiet.

Naruto looked over at the three. "Alright. Each one of you are weird in your own way, but I've never seen you all this quiet!" he said.

Kiba sighed. "Shut up ramen breath." he said simply.

"Why you-"

"Naruto!" Sakura said before he could say anything else.

Naruto instantly shut up.

"She's training." said Shino.

Sakrua looked at him. "Training? But she can do that here. It makes no sense." said Sakura.

Shino was quiet for a bit. "One day, I told her after she'd finished fighting Kiba, and had lost yet again, that she shouldn't fight him right away, and train on her own. I think she may have taken it the wrong way." said Shino.

"But that's still no exuse. She still could have trained here!" said Naruto.

"Not exactly. You see, everyday she goes home, she gets chewed out by her father. I don't know what all he says to her, but Hinata has told us both that what he says is very hurtful, and her sister, Hanabi doesn't help matters at all." said Kiba.

"Maybe she finally snapped." said Naruto.

Sakura nodded. "Hinata is known for her weak self esteem." she said.

"So you think her father might know something?" asked Naruto.

"Well, yeah. But it isn't our place to go to the Hyuuga mansion, and ask him what he said to his daughter. We'll have to rely on our conclusions and what we know." said Sakura.

"Do we even know what direction Hinata went in?" asked Naruto.

Neji was in the back of the group listening.

_Listen to them all, taking up for her, trying to help her. She ran away, so why are we looking for her?_

Neji thought. He wanted her gone, and it didn't make any sense that he had to come. It was more than likely because he was her cousin, possessed the jutsu Byakugan, and also because he knew Hinata best, as much as he hated to admit it.

Naruto glanced back at Neji. "Hey Neji, now you're the only one who hasn't said a word." said Naruto.

"Is there a problem with that?" Neji asked.

"Well yeah! Your Hinata's cousin, so we definitely need your imput! Plus, your taking part in this mission!" said Naruto.

"Well aren't you trying to be all leaderly Naruto. That's a first." said Neji looking away from him.

_Man! If Sakura-Chan wouldn't kill me, Neji would be toast right now!_

Naruto thought.

"Alright. We're just going to have to search in the most likely places first, then start expanding our searches just in case she doesn't turn up." said Sakura. All agreed.

Naruto sighed. "Man…this is gonna be a long road." he said.

(On the other side)

Hinata made her way towards the village. The light rain, beaded her hair. She held her short jacket close, and made her way towards the village when she saw someone heading towards her. The person's silhouette came closer until finally, Hinata was able to make out who it actually was. "G-Gaara-kun!" she said quietly.

Gaara headed towards her, seeing her surprised face.

_She hasn't run away…_

Thought Gaara surprised. He thought that at the distance between them would only make Hinata more prone to flee. It was what most people did when they saw him coming. "Hyuuga. Your still here." Gaara said.

"A-actually, I was just heading towards town…" Hinata said quietly.

Gaara kept walking closer, until he was face to face with Hinata.

Hinata drew in her breath. It was kind of scary, him being so close. She could feel him breathing on her skin. It sent chills down Hinata's spin. Although she wasn't quite as afraid of him as the moment before, she was still pretty edgy about being around him. After all, he was unstable.

"Why were you afraid of me earlier?" he asked a little irritated. He knew that she was, and if she lied, who knows what he would do.

"I-I was…I mean, it was just…" Hinata said feeling very uncomfortable under his gaze.

His sand grabbed her wrist. "Answer me." he demanded, his eyes glaring into hers.

Hinata knew he didn't take her stuttering and tripping over her words very well. No one did. But it was awfully hard for her not to. She was so use to doing it. She sighed slightly. "I was afraid of you…because of all the things I saw you do." Hinata said quietly but as straight as she could. She waited for his response, her face bold, but her mind kept drifting.

_What will he say? This won't make him…angry, will it?_

She thought with growing worry.

Gaara chuckled a little. He smirked at her. "And what exactly did you see me do?" he asked.

"…You…you KILLED two of people during the Chuunin exams! You killed them!" Hinata said. Tears welled up in her eyes, but did not fall. Even though she didn't know those people well, they had done nothing worthy of being killed over. "And Shikamaru and Naruto-kun…they saw you kill others too!" said Hinata.

Gaara grimaced at her slight yelling, then he glared at her. The grip of his sand tightened on her wrist, and Hinata whimpered a little because of the pain it was causing. It was almost enough to break someone's wrist. "How do you know why I did that?" he asked. "You know nothing!" he said releasing the sand off of her wrist and sending her flying back with some unintended force. Hinata tumbled a little, and grabbed her wrist, making sure it wasn't too badly damaged. "Hyuuga…" said Gaara as he walked back to where she was.

Hinata shook with fear once more. What had she done?

"I've killed more than just those people. And honestly, I don't even remember who they were. Just some pawns in my way that had to be discarded. If they didn't approach me, they might have lived." said Gaara simply. He had a cold look in his eyes as he looked at Hinata. "And if you think about it, " he said, "They were going to die sooner or later." he said with a twisted smirk.

Hinata looked at him. She knew she had angered him.

"G-gomen nassai." she said quickly.

Gaara didn't really take notice of her apologizing. "When you see me Hyuuga, what do you think your looking at?" he asked. "A monster? A demon? Are you like everyone else?" he said. Gaara didn't want to admit it, but he had a very small speck of hope that she might not hate him like everyone else.

"No." said Hinata standing up. "I don't. I see just Gaara." said Hinata

"Then who am I!?" he asked.

Hinata frowned. "You are who you make yourself out to be." Hinata said calmly.

Gaara took in her words. What DID he make himself out to be?

This time, Hinata approached him.

Gaara looked at her, a bit stunned. No one had ever just openly walked up to him like that, especially after what he'd just done to her. The shukaku inside of him was telling him this girl needed to die. She needed to die because she was confusing his way of life. His theory of life was being distorted and with her in the way, he understood nothing. Gaara clasped his hand to his head. It was coming back. Those headaches, and those feelings. He wanted blood, no…he wanted her complete destruction. He could see it in his head. Everything. Her death, and him returning back to normal…maybe.

_No_

He thought.

_I won't do it! There is still too much I have not understood about this girl!_

He thought once more.

Hinata stopped in front of him, and, despite her judgment, she sub-consciously put her hand on Gaara's arm.

Gaara stopped shaking, and looked up at Hinata, his eyes still wide from trying to erase those thoughts. Then something happened. That pain left him. He didn't feel like his head was spliting apart anymore. No more thoughts about her death eminated from his head. "H-hyuuga…" Gaara said. He looked confused. What was this?

"It's okay. I can understand how you feel." said Hinata. Her own outburst was out of line. Even though what she saw was horrifying, she knew it was not only him, but the demon manipulating him to do these things. Without that demon, might not be so bad. Hinata gulped a little. "It is... understandable." she said.

Gaara stared at her in disbelief. No one had ever said that to him. No one had ever touched him. It was something out of this world. Gaara stood straight up, and took Hinata's hand off of him. "You should know Hyuuga, that it isn't wise to touch me." he said.

"Why?" asked Hinata.

"Because you might just end up missing a hand if you do that." he said and began to walk off.

"Wait!" Hinata said.

Gaara stopped, but did not turn around.

"Maybe…maybe you and I…well…we could talk sometime maybe…" she said.

Gaara stood still. This was so different. Feelings he had never felt before surged through him. Confusion, excitement, surprise. So many he didn't even realize it until right after that he had said "Alright."

Hinata smiled slightly. "Here, then?" she asked.

Gaara hesitated, still surprised by his answer. He didn't say anything, but walked off.

Up in a tree nearby, Kankuro and Temari saw the whole thing.

"Is that really OUR Gaara? Did you just see what happened?" Kankuro asked.

Temari was surprised herself. "I don't understand." she said, and with that, the two jumped off of their perch and fled off.

The end of Chapter three has arrived! What did you all think? Wild isn't it?

Gaara : I really should have killed you before you even started this…

Hinata : ((shudders)) Um, lilmiss-san…

Gaarazlilmiss : Yeah, I know. Well let's see him catch me!

Gaara : ((growls)) ((does a sand attack on Gaarazlilmiss))

Gaarazlilmiss : WAAAAAAAHHH!!! Alright alright! I won't write anymore! ((mutters)) yeah right…

Anyway, Ja ne, and look out for Chapter 4!


	4. admiration

Ai (love) ?

Gaarazlilmiss

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in Naruto, only this story and everything said in it.

Hello everyone! I'm back again with Chapter 4! Just a recap…In chapter 3, Hinata and Gaara are now confused about themselves and each other! They've meant twice, and Hinata has asked to see Gaara again! Naruto and the rest of the ninja on the mission to find Hinata are gathering clues to her disappearance and thinking about places she may have gone, while Temari and Kankuro are extremely baffled by Gaara's strange behavior! Now in chapter four, Temari and Kankuro will question Gaara about why he didn't tell them he found Hinata, Naruto, Sakura, Shino, Kiba, and Neji will finally find a clue as to where Hinata has gone, and Hinata will go off with Gaara for a bit! The rest of this though, is continued in the next chapter! Oh, this chapter's gonna be good…at least I think so!

Gaara : I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOU WEREN'T WRITING ANYMORE!!

Gaarazlilmiss : That was just so you'd stop attacking me!

Gaara : You.Are.Going.To.Die!

Gaarazlilmiss : …eep….

Hinata : I-it's not that I want to see him, it's just that…

Gaarazlilmiss : Stuff it will you Hinata!? You did, you asked him, end of story! And the beginning of this chapter!

Chapter 4 : Admiration

As Gaara walked along, he noticed the presence of some other people. He knew who they were. Of course they'd follow him, he was acting…unlike himself. On normal circumstances, Hyuuga would be dead as a doorknob for the way she acted around him. She had done all the things that other people were killed for! How had she escaped alive?

Temari and Kankuro landed in front of Gaara, serious eyes ment each other.

"Why did you two follow me?" Gaara asked. He didn't stop, just kept walking past them.

This wasn't uncommon for the two other siblings. Gaara didn't care about anything but himself as he had stated…well…now that was starting to change slightly.

"Alright Gaara! We have to go back and get the Hyuuga! She was with you. Dosen't seem like that's the first time you've talked to her." said Kankuro with a slight smirk. This was too different for him. It was slightly amusing, but he knew better than to pull too many strings.

Gaara shot him a death glance. Kankuro froze up, and Temari stood there, not daring to make a move.

"…This mission is null and void. Hyuuga was simply training, and Konoha got overly worried." said Gaara. "This is the end of this mission." he said.

"But we can't! We've got to report back to the kazekage, and if he finds out from Konoha that Hyuuga hasn't been returned…" said Temari.

"Shut up." said Gaara. He didn't even understand himself at the moment. Defending Hinata…what was he thinking?

"We'll take her back when she finishes." said Gaara.

"What? Her training?" asked Kankuro. "But, I mean…" Kankuro said.

"…" Gaara said nothing and just kept walking. The siblings knew Gaara wouldn't say anything else about the conversation. They followed, still very confused. Asking Gaara why he did what he did wouldn't be of any help. They definetly wouldn't get a straight answer, and more than likely, none at all.

The three siblings had returned to the inn, each getting their own room. Gaara didn't sleep, unlike Temari and Kankuro, he simply sat on his bed and gazed at the moon. It was soothing to him, a large round orb of white light in the sky. For some reason, he felt empty, not the kind of empty that he'd felt for the past 7 years of his life, but empty, as if something were missing. Hinata's face instantly popped into his mind. "Hyuuga…I just don't understand how you've managed to make me think about you, just one person, like this constantly." he said. It was almost horrifying to him, and at the same time easing on his mind. Words Hinata spoke to him not to long ago ran through his head too.

_You are who you make yourself out to be._

This made Gaara actually think about who he made himself out to be. Only things he could think of were things other people made him out to be.

_Monster_

_Demon_

_Murderer_

_Cold_

_Cruel_

And what he thought of himself happened to be what other people thought he was. It hit him. He had never considered himself anything. A sharp pain sprinted through his head quickly then subsided. He had never thought about anything so deeply.

_**Gaara…**_

A voice in his head sounded. He knew who it was. It was the Shukaku. He had sensed the thoughts Gaara was having. These thoughts could kill him. He had to stop Gaara.

_**Little one…why are you thinking such things?**_

It asked. Gaara shook his head.

_Because…I've never thought about it before…_

He answered.

The shukaku let out a laugh.

_**So why start now? It's because of that Hyuuga girl, isn't it? She's the one who's made you start to think such ridiculous things. You ARE a demon, because I am a demon. You could never be like she is.**_

The shukaku hissed.

Gaara grabbed his head.

_**Admit it Gaara. You envy her. You want to be like her. You WANT her. And you can't have her.**_

The shukaku said. He wanted Gaara to belive that he couldn't do anything he hadn't already been doing. It was true that Gaara wanted to see Hinata again. He wanted to learn from her how she could be the way she was, he wanted to see her. It was an odd feeling, slightly close to…

_**Love. It isn't something you can feel unless it's towards yourself. You don't even understand the meaning. And you've just recently begun to talk to her…**_

It snickered a little. Gaara growled. "I do not love her." he said simply.

_**But it will grow into that soon, especially if you keep seeing her.**_

The shukaku said, hoping it would make Gaara not want to see her.

Gaara was quiet for a minute. "Your right." he said.

The beast chuckled at hearing Gaara's incomplete answer.

"And that's why I'm going to find out what it is." he said as he looked back at the moon, blocking out the demon's shrieking at his failure to keep Gaara from Hinata.

Gaara heard something nearby. It was right on the other side of his wall, and the voice sounded very familiar…he listened close to it…

Hinata was in the inn at this time as well, although she didn't know Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro were here as well.She laid on the bed, and covered herself with the green white and orange plaid covers. Her face looked thoughtful. "Today, I did one thousand gentle fist strikes. Tommorow, it will be one-thousand gentle fist strikes and chakra focusing." Hinata said as she began to close her eyes. The thoughts ran back through her head. Why had she asked Gaara to see her again? She knew it was slightly foolish, and he might not even come. "I don't expect to see him tomorrow." she said.

"…Shino…I'll show you I can beat Kiba…Kiba…I'll make you wish you never knew me in combat…Kurenai sensei…I'll show you that I am not your weakest student…Hanabi…you'll wish you'd never said any of those things to me…father…I'll make you prouder than anyone else could ever make you…Neji…I'll challenge you again, and you'll lose this time…and, Naruto-kun." Hinata said, pausing her vows for a brief moment. "You won't be sorry that you cheered me on. You won't feel bad about turning me down when we spare with other teams…You'll recognize me." said Hinata. "I won't be alone anymore. I won't be lonely." she said then picked up her picture of Naruto and held it in her hands as she dozed off.

Gaara heard every word. "I have to talk to her tomorrow." he said. There was no denying it. Gaara admired Hinata.

(Next day)

Hinata awoke to someone speaking just outside of her door. The voices sounded vaguely familiar, but not to the extent she could tell who it was.

"We'll see you later then, but you better mean what you say. We can't afford to waste much more time." Said a female voice.

"Don't lose it, okay?" asked a male voice.

"I can't guarantee that." said a deep but soft voice.

Hinata gasped. She recognized that voice almost instantly. "Gaara-kun!  
She said in a small whisper.

She listened for a little more, but heard nothing but footsteps pad slowly away. There was no noise for a long while. Finally, a few firm knocks hit the door. Hinata jumped slightly, startled. "Ah, um, w-who is it?" she asked, putting on her jacket and pulling her ninja shoes over to where she could slide them on.

"…Gaara." said the voice. Just a simple answer. Nothing different about his tone at all.

Hinata almost smiled. What was that for? How did he know where she was?

"Um, I-it's okay to come in." she said.

Gaara opened the door. As he walked in, he looked around, as if he were searching for someone. Then he stopped. He looked over at Hinata.

She looked at him, a bit shocked. "Um…yes?" she asked.

"Well…I thought you wanted to talk today. Or do you not remember what you asked?" he asked her, his face unchanging.

"Oh, no no! I-I didn't forget, I just well…" she said, and fadded off.

Gaara started to walk out the door, and Hinata followed.

She stared at the large gourd on his back. She had heard nothing good about it. Not one thing. He had to endure all that extra weight just to protect himself. Hinata couldn't imagine doing anything like that. And even when he was just talking to her, he still felt he needed it. Hinata felt a bit edgy again.

"We're going to go back to the place…that place at the edge of those woods, right?" she asked. She had to be sure.

Gaara looked back at her. "Why not?" he asked calmly.

Hinata nodded, taking that as a yes.

"I wanted to ask you some things." Gaara said suddenly.

Hinata blinked. He wanted to ask her some things?

"Oh…a-alright." she said.

The two walked in almost complete silence the entire way towards the area they had talked to each other at last night.

(Meanwhile)

"Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" Naruto yelled. Five extra Naruto's appeared.

"Alright guys! I'm counting on you! Split up and look for any trace of Hinata!" Naruto yelled.

"Right!" they all said. They, along with Naruto, split off and began to search for Hinata in the woods on the sides of the dirt path.

Sakura sighed. "Why can't he just talk normally? Does he have to exclamate everything?" she asked. Because Sakura possessed no special Jutsu's that would help her with this mission, she just looked around normally, keeping a keen eye in case she spotted anything unusual.

Shino's bugs were everywhere, picking up small scents of Hinata. "These are old. They aren't fresh." said Shino.

"Yeah. Same here. Seems as though, however, this area leads towards somewhere where she's been recently." said Kiba. Everyone, including the extra Naruto's huddled around Kiba and Akamaru. "You see this little self- made path? Seems like she's been through here." said Kiba.

The real Naruto laughed. "Hinata's so obvious! I could have sworn she was trying to hide herself!" said Naruto.

Sakura smiled at Kiba. "Great! Then we'll take this path, and hope we find something." said Sakura. The team began to search the path, and make their way farther and farther away from Konoha. Little did they know who they'd encounter halfway…

Yup! This is the end! You'll be surprised by what happens next!!

Gaara : I told you you were going to die, so there won't be a next time.

Gaarazlilmiss : um, before I lose only my life, I think I'll see you all next chapter! Bye!

Gaara : They always run…


	5. Ai

Ai (love) ?

Gaarazlilmiss

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in Naruto, only this story and everything said in it.

Hinata : U-um…Konnichiwa everyone…since G-gaarazlilmiss -san is running for her life from Gaara currently, I have to introduce this chapter. Um, in this chapter, Gaara and I will, um…(blushes)…he'll help me with my training, and w-well…uh, anyway, Sakura-chan, Shino, Naruto, Kiba, and Neji-kun will all meet up with two people, and what they have to say will enrage Kiba…. Last chapter, we ended with Naruto-kun and the others finding out about a path I took on the way to this area, which we'll be leaving for good in the next chapter. I-I hope you'll enjoy….

Gaarazlilmiss : JEEZ HINATA!! SOUND A LITTLE MORE ENTHUSIASTIC!!! AHHH! PLEASE STOP CHASING ME!!!!

Gaara : Stop writing this story then…

Hinata : Sorry lilmiss-san! Um, I hope you enjoy this chapter and will read the others in the future! (smiles forcefully)

Gaara : There won't be a future!

Chapter 5 : Ai

Sakura, Neji, Shino, and Naruto ran after Kiba, who was leading them through the wild path. The sun had just risen completely and it was extremely hot in the direction they were headed. "Her scent is heavy in this area…" said Kiba. Shino agreed. "The insects seem to be riled up." he said.

Sakura looked stern. "I hope she's okay." she said quietly.

Naruto looked over at Sakura and grinned. He began to snicker. "Your worried, aren't you Sakura-Chan? Don't! Even though Hinata may not seem strong, she's actually really good! I mean, she almost beat Neji in that battle!" said Naruto.

Neji shot Naruto a look. He began to think again.

_Man. If Naruto noticed, I know this is bad. I can't let her do this again._

Thought Neji.

Suddenly Kiba stopped, and everyone else did too, except for Naruto, who ran straight into…

"You little squirt! Watch where you're going!" yelled Temari as she stood up.

Naruto wobbled around a bit. "Gomen-nassai." he said wearily.

"Temari-chan!" said Sakura. "Why are you here?" she asked.

Temari sighed. "It's about Gaara…and Hinata." said Temari.

"WHAT!? WHAT'S THAT PYSCO DONE TO HINATA!?" yelled Naruto.

Temari sighed. "You aren't so sane yourself." said Temari.

Sakura snickered.

"What happened?" asked Kiba seriously.

Temari looked at each face. Naruto was still fuming, Kiba was very alarmed, Shino was awaiting Temari's answer, Neji had a sort of smile on his face, and Sakura's mouth was hanging open at the mention of "Gaara" with "Hinata".

"Gaara's been acting really, and I mean really diffrent." said Temari. Kankuro stepped up. "We were ordered to help you find Hinata, and so that's what we were doing. Gaara was acting like he normally does, but when kankuro suggested we split up to search for Hinata, Gaara was the one who found her." said Temari.

"Oh! Bad idea, bad idea! You'd let that maniac run around alone AND give him a chance to find Hinata!?" Naruto yelled again.

"Will you shut up?" asked Temari impatiently.

"Well, at the time, we didn't know that Gaara had found Hinata, because he said he didn't." said Temari.

"And you belived him!" said Naruto.

Sakura hit Naruto upside the head this time. "SHUT UP!" she yelled.

"So…what happened?" asked Neji. Everyone turned to look at him. He had that same little grin on his face, hardly visible, but there, and it made Naruto and Kiba feel a bit weird about it.

"Well, when we were going to turn in for the night, Gaara didn't want to come with us." said Temari. "He was being really uncooperative. So we told him it was okay. Kankuro and I decided to follow him to see what he was up to, and he was talking to Hinata. I almost thought he was going to kill her, but he didn't. Instead, she asked him to come and talk to her again, and he agreed." said Temari.

"WHAT!?" everyone said except for Shino.

"You aren't serious!" Naruto said.

"I'm way serious." said Temari.

"And no joke about it, Gaara did actually go to see her again." said Kankuro.

"Wait, lemme get this straight. Did you guys actually LEAVE hinata there with Gaara!?" asked Naruto.

Kiba didn't want to agree with Naruto, but he felt like screaming out the exact same thing.

"We didn't have a choice. If we would have done anything, he might have killed us." said Kankuro.

Kiba clenched his fists.

Shino looked over at Kiba, and raised an eyebrow.

"We have to go and get Hinata!" he said.

Naruto thrusted his fist in the air and smiled. "Yeah! But, um, where is she?" he asked.

Temari put her hand on her fan. "A little village a little farther out than the sand village. It's closer to the water." said Temari.

"How do we know they'll still be there? How do we know Hinata will still be intact?" asked Sakura.

"Trust me. Gaara is acting funny. I highly doubt he's going to do anything to Hyuuga." said Temari.

"How'd you get here so fast?" asked Naruto suspiciously.

"My fan, duh. Someone needs to put you in a home." Temari said.

"Then how are we suppose to keep up?" Naruto asked.

"Your gonna have to do your best." said Temari. With that, Temari and Kankuro fled.

Kiba's face was in a twisted sneer. "Let's hurry." he said running faster with Akamaru behind him, and following the scent of Hinata much more efficiently.

(On the other side)

Gaara led Hinata farther than that spot they were at yesterday. He didn't say anything for a long time. "Hinata…what is the true reason you left Konoha?" he asked.

Hinata noted that he called her Hinata instead of Hyuua this time. "Because I'm underestimated." said Hinata.

Gaara soaked in her words. "Underestimated, huh?" he said. "Why do you think that?" he asked.

"Because…No one thinks I can beat Kiba. My father favors my sister Hanabi more than I, and I've never recived any highly ranked missions." said Hinata. She kept twiddling her fingers.

"…Is that the reason you try so hard, but yet you don't improve?" Gaara asked. He stopped at a small clearing. The one where Hinata had been training at first.

"…Y-yes." she said. "I want them to eknowledge me." she said. "But I can't do any better no matter what." she finished. She felt no good again, of no use, just there. "And I feel so alone sometimes, when no one understands me." she said.

Gaara looked at her, for once his face actually deplicting some sort of emotion. Hinata couldn't figure out what it was. Maybe it was shock.

"You…you feel alone?" he asked.

"Yes. I'm surrounded by people everyday. But just because they're there doesn't mean they actually understand how I feel. " she said.

Gaara felt the same way. He was always around people, even on a team with Temari and Kankuro, but just because THEY were there didn't mean they actually understood how he felt. It was odd.

"You are going to train today?" he asked. "Because if you are…I'd like to see exactly what you do. "

Hinata looked at him.

_So he is going to help me…_

She thought. "O-okay." she said.

Hinata placed herself in front of the same tree she was in front of the last time. She immediately went into a fighting stance, one of defense. She furiously attacked the tree with all her strength at first, then went on into her gentle fist style of combat. In between all of that, she practiced her Byakugan, she even practiced on her flexibility. All of this took a large amount of time. Hinata had almost forgotten that Gaara was watching her, and was surprised to find him still standing there, just eyeing her, trying to take in what she had done.

_He was so quiet…he observed the whole thing. Kiba would fall asleep on me when he supervised my training…and Kurenai sensei was hardly ever around to witness it…_

Hinata thought. It actually made her a bit happy to find him still there. "Y-you watched all of that?" she asked, astonished.

Gaara nodded once. "You aren't focusing on your chakra enough. Each time you strike, gentle fist or not, you don't add enough force to it, making it weaker and less effective than it should be." he said. "Also, your stance is akward, and you don't aim for any specific places." he said. He had found all of those problems by watching the entire thing.

Hinata blushed with embarassment. "So then, what can I do to improve that?" Hinata asked quietly.

"…Well, first, you shouldn't stand like that. You have to appear to be a threat, even as you defend." he said. He walked over, and placed his hand on Hinata's shoulder, making her stand a little straighter. "That's a little better." he said. "And your legs. They're too far apart. Your reaction time would be cut down." he said.

_He's definetly not an ordinary Genin. He knows all of this, and he's suppose to be a genin._

Thought Hinata in awe.

Hinata sat on a log behind her. "You know, Gaara-kun, that no one back home even took the time to monitor my training. They didn't even try to help me much. Shino did suggest I train on my own, but he never told me my actual flaws, and Kiba was just too happy about beating me all the time. " Hinata said.

Gaara just listened.

"I'm…happy you're actually helping me." said Hinata.

Gaara looked surprised again.

_Everyday, she says something that amazes me more. She's happy? Happy I'm helping her?_

He thought.

"…Why are you helping me anyway?" she asked.

Gaara didn't say anything for awhile, pondering whether or not he should tell her the actual reason he was helping her. He finally decided to.

"Because…When I first saw you training, you were getting nowhere fast. It irritated me." he said. "But you still kept training, and I wondered why." he said.

He didn't want to say anymore than that. It already sounded strange, him saying it. He could here the Shukaku laughing inside him.

_**Boy, you are truly becoming weaker and weaker for this girl everyday since the day you meant her.**_

It said. Gaara didn't listen, but it was still true.

"Why don't you sit, Gaara?" she asked.

"I don't need to." he said plainly.

"Why not? I don't bite…" she said. She was trying to get that cold look off of his face. She had a feeling it wouldn't work.

Gaara looked at Hinata for a little bit, then he walked over and sat beside her. It wasn't like him at all. Distance, unless he was angry or was trying to scare his prey, was what he liked most. He felt uncomfortable sitting next to her, but at the same time, he did want to. Her innocent aura was what made him want to be near her, just so he could understand her. It didn't make any sense to him how she was so…human to him.

"Gaara-kun…" asked Hinata quietly. She had a thoughtful look in her eyes.

Gaara looked over at her, his attention was fully on her.

_**Do not let this girl pull you down! YOU remember that you can only love yourself, and you live only to kill!**_

The shukaku within him screeched.

Gaara grimaced a little, as if trying to block the demon away with no success.

"Do I appear weak to you? Honestly?" she asked. A blush crept onto her cheeks, for asking an embarrassing question, well, to her.

Gaara wasn't one to lie. "You are only weak because you think you are." he said turning towards her and looking at her. "If you didn't think that, you wouldn't be." he said.

Hinata lowered her head.

Gaara's cool eyes searched her. She looked unconfident, her face told all her feelings. For the first time, Gaara noticed someone else's sadness and felt pity. He lifted her chin. "And if you keep looking like that, instead of taking criticsisum as an opportunity to improve, you'll always be like this. You won't ever improve that way." he said.

Hinata looked at him, she was very shocked by his words. "T-thank you Gaara-kun." Hinata said. She laid her head on his shoulder, and Gaara's eyes widened in surprise.

_**DO YOU SEE WHAT I MEAN!?**_

The shukaku yelled out.

Gaara closed his eyes, trying to erase the shukaku's words. He had never in his life had this happen to him.

_What is this girl doing to me?_

He asked himself.

_But…I've never had anything this close to an emotion…if feels so different…_

He thought again.

He allowed Hinata to rest her head on his shoulder as he pulled her a bit closer. This made Gaara feel a little bit better than going on his forced rampages like the shukaku had wanted him to, an for the first time, Gaara grinned ever so slightly.

Was this ai?

Hinata looked up at him. He was warm, something she thought he couldn't be because his facial expressions screamed cold in every way.

"Hinata-chan." he said.

Hinata looked up at him.

"Tell me…what does the word ai mean to you?" he asked.

_**You already know what that is! If you'll remember, it is something only you can receive from yourself!**_

The shukaku screamed. It was getting very frustrated.

Hinata blushed a little. "To me?" she asked. "Ai is a complicated word to describe. There are many forms of it. The kind between a friend and a friend, parents and their kids, villages, and…lovers." said Hinata. She blushed a little more when she said that.

Gaara's eyes closed and he shook his head. "I wouldn't know then." he said.

Hinata looked at him questioningly. "Why not?" she asked.

"Because, I didn't have any parents that loved me. My father is the one who put this demon inside me, and my mother didn't love me. Instead, she wished that I'd destroy the village of sand to avenge her." said Gaara. It pained him.

"I understand that feeling." said Hinata. "My father…he…he doesn't care for me. Instead, he cares only about what power I can habor. He has concluded that I am nothing compared to my younger sister Hanabi, and has given up on me, only speaking to tell me how terrible I am. My mother is no longer alive as well." said Hinata. "I understand how it feels. But I know what Ai is. " said Hinata. "And…maybe…" she began, but didn't finish.

Gaara looked at her. She was so similar to him, but she took these problems differently. He looked upon these situations as bad things, while she tried to push through it and have a brighter day. It moved Gaara slightly.

"So…maybe that word applies…" he said.

Hinata looked at him questioningly. He had a slightly saddened, yet thoughtful look on his face.

Gaara let go of Hinata. He stood. "You need to practice more." he said. He was trying to forget what had happened. It was confusing him. Hinata had taught him more than he had taught her. "But…do you want to go back to Konoha to do that?" he asked.

Hinata looked at him thoughtfully. "I…well…" she said.

Gaara awaited patiently for an answer.

"..Not yet." she finally said.

Chapter 5 over! I think this chapter was sweet!

Gaara :Just be happy you had water. Otherwise, you really would be dead.

Hinata : ((blushing)) Wow. I didn't know it was going to turn out like this…

Gaarazlilmiss : Well it did. Admit it Hinata. You came on smoother with Gaara than Naruto! ((laughs))

Hinata :Ah! Well, no it's not like that, I mean Naruto he…

Gaara : I'm leaving…

Gaarazlilmiss : You can't! There are still too many chapters you have to be in before you can go!

Gaara : groans

See ya in Chapter 6!!


	6. Separation

Ai (love)?

Gaarazlilmiss

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in Naruto, only this story and everything said in it.

Gaara :…I have to introduce this chapter…and the only reason why I'm doing it is because I'm going to kill Kiba in this chapter. (Gaarazlilmiss : ((whispers)) not really, he's just like that, you get the idea…) They're going to take Hinata away, and we won't see each other anymore in this chapter and the next one…there. I'm done. Now give me back my gourd.

Gaarazlilmiss : Not until you promise to let me finish the story

Gaara : …whatever. Just give it back.

Hinata : Heh heh…well…um…I guess this is the part where Lilmiss-san says "Hope you enjoy this chapter! Ja ne!" so, here we go…

Chapter 6 : Separation

Hinata stood up after she had answered Gaara. She wasn't going back to Konoha just yet. She still was nowhere near as good as she aimed to be.

Gaara looked over at her. "The sand village. The area around there is vast, and it might serve as a good area to train in." said Gaara.

"You will go with me?" Hinata asked him.

Gaara began to walk off. He stopped after a bit when he realized Hinata was just standing there. "Well…?" he asked.

"Oh. Um, Hai." she said running up to keep up with him.

As they made their way towards the sand village, Gaara still helped Hinata with her training. Although he didn't know much about Byakugan, he did give her slight hints as to how to get the ability to work better for her.

Day slowly faded into night, and the two had stopped because Hinata was tired. "How much longer until we reach the sand village?" she asked.

"We should get there early tomorrow." he said.

Hinata nodded and began to doze off.

Gaara couldn't help but look at her as she slept.

_She's different than I had expected of a Hyuuga…_

He thought. From what he had heard, the Hyuuga's were serious about their clan. He never thought that Hinata would act so differently.

He saw her grow restless. Just as he was about to try and calm her, he noticed something. Someone was looking at him, but where?

Gaara sat still for a moment and looked around until he spotted a pair of angry brownish eyes. They looked like those of an enraged beast.

Gaara jumped up. "Who's there?" he asked calmly as he pulled the cork from his gourd.

Naruto, Kiba, Shino, Sakura, Neji, Temari, and Kankuro jumped out.

"What have you done to Hinata!?" Naruto immediately asked.

Gaara narrowed his eyes. He looked around at the bunch, noting that Temari and Kankuro were a part of this.

"Temari, Kankuro, what are you doing?" he asked venomously.

"G-gaara, you were acting strange, and we thought…" Temari said. She was a little frightened at what her brother would do to them. He seemed to take this as betrayal.

Gaara only looked at the two siblings of his.

Naruto looked over at Hinata. "Hinata!" he said as he ran over, and shook her rapidly. "Hinata! Get up!" he said.

Hinata opened her eyes slowly, seeing Naruto looking directly at her, and holding her. "Naruto…-kun?" what are you doing here?" she asked. Kiba looked at Hinata's face. Usually, Hinata would blush furiously when Naruto did something like that, this time however, she only smiled slightly.

"Are you okay!? What did he do to you, what did he do?" asked Naruto franticlly.

"He…he was helping me." said Hinata as she sat up on her own.

Kiba stepped up. "What do you mean, helping you?" he asked.

"Helping me to train." said Hinata.

Gaara looked back at her.

Kiba glared at Gaara slightly. "Why did you run away? Why didn't you tell me you needed help?" he asked.

"…K-Kiba-kun…" began Hinata, " you should have understood that when I was fighting you, and the outcome was always the same." said Hinata.

Kiba's eyes widened.

_You should have understood that…_

The words ran through his head. Akamaru looked at Kiba with worry. He whimpered a little, trying to calm Kiba.

Neji sighed. "Leave her." he said.

Naruto glared over at Neji. "Whaaat!?" he asked.

"She chose this, she'll pay the consequences…" said Neji. "Let that monster have her." he said finally.

Gaara glared venomously at Neji as sand began to snake its way out of the gourd. That was enough. He couldn't take it anymore.

_Are you okay!? What did he do to you, what did he do?_

Accusation.

_G-gaara, you were acting strange, and we thought…_

Doubt.

_She chose this, she'll pay the consequences…Let that monster have her._

Reaching conclusions without understanding the whole concept of the situation.

It ticked Gaara off, and now, they were going to pay.

Kiba stepped out. "Wait." he said looking at Gaara. "You…You've done something to Hinata." he said.

Gaara stared at Kiba cooly. "No more than she's done to me." he said.

Kiba stared at him confused. "Hinata-chan?" he asked.

"Kiba. It's okay." she said. "G-gaara-kun has done nothing wrong." she said quietly.

Kiba was angered by this. In his frustration, he flung a kunai at Gaara.

The sand quickly intercepted it. Gaara's eyes narrowed. "Sabaku Kyuu(Desert Coffin)!!" he yelled.

Kiba along with Akamaru dodged it easily. Both landed on all fours. "That's it? Hinata is coming back with us!" Kiba yelled.

"Oh really?" Gaara asked, an evil smirk taking ahold of his face once more. "I'd like to see that happen." said Gaara. His fingers quickly formed into a peculiar shape.

"No Gaara!!" said Temari.

"Sakura!" asked Naruto. "Take Hinata somewhere else!" said Naruto.

Hinata released herself from Naruto. "No. I am not running anymore Naruto-kun." said Hinata with a frown on her face.

"Take this!!" said Kiba. He fed Akamaru one of the food pills. Immediately, Akamaru's fur turned a dusty red, and he grew in size. "Alright Akamaru!" Kiba said. Then suddenly, after a cloud of white smoke dispersed, two Kibas stood. The two attacked Gaara viciously, but each time, fists met sand. The two finally withdrew, breathing heavily.

Gaara didn't seem in the least impressed. Finally he said it, not taking any notice of Temari's pleading. "Sabaku sousou(Desert Graveyard)!" he said.

Only Akamaru escaped, his speed enhanced by the food pills. Kiba, on the other hand, was encased in chakra enhanced sand. "Argh! Let me go! Leave Hinata alone!" yelled Kiba.

Neji watched silently.

Just as Gaara was about to destroy Kiba, Hinata ran over to him and grabbed his arm.

Gaara quickly turned to her, his eyes full with rage, and his sand rushing quickly towards her. It wrapped itself around Hinata's entire arm.

She winced in pain, but didn't do much more. She looked directly into his eyes,

_Hyuuga!? I told you…_

Gaara thought.

The sand encasing Kiba quickly fell back to the ground along with himself, who was wincing because of the bruises he'd gained.

"Hinata, I told you not to touch me." Gaara said with slight irritation in his voice.

_**She disobeyed you. Kill her.**_

The shukaku ordered.

Gaara eyed her, his eyes turning from cold, to puzzled, then to calm.

"I know." said Hinata. "But…if I didn't…" she said.

"I would have destroyed him. He deserves it." he said.

All the others watched the two, confused.

Temari shook in disbelief. "Never. He's never talked to someone like that. She should be dead. She touched him. She touched Gaara." Temari said.

Neji's face was full of anger.

_Hinata…how?_

He thought.

"Gaara's not going to…he's not going to hurt her, not at all?" Naruto asked.

_She was right. Gaara is way weird now…_

Naruto thought.

Sakura and Shino both just stared.

"Kiba-kun…" said Hinata.

Kiba looked up at Hinata, still weakened.

"I will come back. But…" Hinata added, "you mustn't fight me for your winning pleasure." she said. Hinata looked at Gaara, a little sadness in her eyes. "Maybe someday…" she said to him, then walked over to the others.

Everyone stole one last glance at the sand nins, and then left.

Temari and Kankuro quickly ran over to Gaara.

"Leave me alone!" he yelled at them, anger and frustration gushing out from every word.

Both siblings jumped at his sudden outburst and stood still. Their brother…what was going on?

_**See…she left you. I told you you couldn't have her. And now look. You can only love yourself Gaara.**_

The shukaku said softly.

_No…it isn't like that at all…_

Gaara thought. He still needed her. For what, he wasn't sure anymore.

_Maybe someday…_

Gaara walked off. "Don't follow me this time. If you do, I'll kill you." said Gaara not looking back at the two once.

Ohhh. Cold. Yeah, this chapter took me awhile to figure out. At this point in time, I'm considering making Gaara and Kiba rivals now. I'm not sure yet however…

Gaara : Rivals? Everyone's my rival.

Hinata : Kiba -Kun and Gaara-Kun rivals?

Gaarazlilmiss : Anyway, see you next chapter, hope you liked this one!


	7. Alone

Ai (love)?

Gaarazlilmiss

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in Naruto, only this story and everything said in it.

Gaarazlilmiss : Before I begin to recap on the last chapter and tell you this chapter's summary, I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed again. Since this is my VERY first fanfic, it's great to know that I'm doing well at it because of all the great reviews! Last chapter, Gaara and Kiba got into a little fight, and Hinata agreed to go back to Konoha…for now. In this chapter, Hinata will basically be around and about Konoha, moping a little at times, and being happy at others, while Gaara will be wondering if he should go back to find Hinata, as he realizes he can't spend a day without her (So Kawaii!) anyway, that's what's happened, and what's coming up. Hope you like chapter seven! (It's kinda the bridge of the story…)

Gaara : …y-

Gaarazlilmiss : Ah-a-a! You said you would let me write this story if I gave your gourd back. You've got it back, so you can't say anything else! Got it?

Gaara : You really tick me off…

Hinata : I hope all of you have enjoyed this story thus far. Thank you all for reviewing it.

Gaarazlilmiss : Gaara, why can't you act like Hinata sometimes?

Chapter 7 :(musical notes insert here) Lonely, I'm so lonely

(J.K)

Alone

As Hinata jumped off with the others, they noticed how she had changed, just a little. It was the little things they noticed about her, like how she didn't blush when Naruto was so near to her, and how she was so serious looking. Even her eyes seemed different. Instead of afraid looking and wary, they were bold, with a hint of coldness to them. It shocked Kiba a bit. He got closer to her. "Hinata-chan?" he asked her.

Hinata looked over at him. "Yes Kiba-kun?" she asked.

Kiba was a tad bit afraid to ask this in front of everyone else. He signaled for Hinata to fall back a little with him, and she did so.

Naruto looked at Kiba and Hinata strangely, but didn't protest. He just looked over at Sakura, who shrugged.

"Did you….did you want to stay there? With Gaara?" he asked.

Hinata sighed slightly. "I was finally being recognized." she answered simply. "I didn't think I'd ever recive that kind of respect. And…" she said.

Kiba looked at her, growing worry in the pit of his stomach.

"He liked me for who I was. That's why he was helping me." said Hinata.

Kiba's eyes grew wide. "He can't though! I mean, he can't like anyone. You remember what he said?" Kiba asked.

His mind ventured back to when Gaara had stated that he loved only himself and nothing but. He fought only for himself, and lived only for himself. He stated that killing is what made him feel alive, and that without that, he'd be dead.

Hinata bowed her head just a little. "That is something I realized has changed about him." said Hinata. "Even though he said that, Gaara-kun doesn't entirely mean it. He told me why he felt the way he felt." said Hinata.

Kiba was almost disgusted about what Hinata was saying.

_How could anyone understand him? How could HINATA of all people understand him? How did she get him to act that way? It makes no sense!_

He pondered. It was horrifying to him to see his teammate, no, his secret love, actually state that she understood him, and was indirectly telling him she didn't want to leave. It angered him.

"How could you understand that fiend!?" Kiba yelled stopping briefly. "Do you remember anything!? What's he done to your mind?" Kiba said, his face in a terrible sneer.

Hinata glared at Kiba. "That's something your wrong about Kiba!" Hinata said in a raised voice.

Kiba was taken aback by this. He'd never in all the time he knew Hinata heard her yell like that.

"If you only understood him. He isn't a fiend. The only reason why he acts like one half the time is because people call him that all the time. It isn't his fault he's been infused with the shukaku. " said Hinata. "And…if you only paid enough attention to actually know…t-that I…I feel the same way sometimes. No one has ever taken enough time to notice that I am shunned away, and I try so hard to be noticed, but I always fail. No one ever understood that maybe I want to be cared about in some way too. Even though people say they do, it's not all entirely true." said Hinata. She jumped off, leaving Kiba where he stood.

"But, we…we came for you Hinata…" said Kiba. "We do care." he said. He clenched his fists. "If it's the last thing I do, I'll put and end to you, Sabaku no Gaara…" Kiba vowed venomously. After that, he jumped off.

(On the other side)

Gaara walked off into that same clearing. He thought back a bit about what had happened.

_They took her from me…no…HE took her from me…_

Thought Gaara. He was refering to Kiba. His eyes were deep in hatred, soaked in fury, and screaming out a deep sorrow. It was strange, how he felt.

_Kiba-kun…I will come back, but…you mustn't fight me for your winning pleasure._

That angered Gaara even further. Whatever had made Hinata run away in the first place was sure to occur again, and that boy was part of it. He didn't like the idea. He felt oddly protective over Hinata. Gaara closed his eyes for a second. He wasn't done asking her questions. He wanted to know her, he wanted to see what knowledge she harbored about her, knowledge of the way any other person like herself would think about things. He wanted to understand completely what the kanji on his head actually meant. She had only dusted away the surface of his questions, opening up new ones. It made Gaara horribly mad. If anyone would have walked in at that moment, they wouldn't have a chance to even see who had killed them. It made him that mad.

His strength was slightly drained because of the small fight he and Kiba had. Resting up against that log, he remembered something else. He had hugged Hinata, and she hadn't rejected it at all. She actually welcomed it. He had never felt anything like that before, and he longed to feel it again.

_She was so soft. So different from anything else I've felt…_

Gaara thought.

_I could have broken her in two, she was so delicate!_

_**Why didn't you? It would have been pleasurable to see all that sweet blood of hers flowing out before us, wouldn't it?**_

The shukaku teased. He wouldn't leave Gaara alone about this situation.

Gaara shook his head. "I do not want her blood spilled." he said suddenly.

The demon drew back slightly, in outrage and shock of Gaara's answer.

_**You!? You don't want blood spilt? What is happening to you boy!?**_

The demon asked. He was horribly frightened and angry with Gaara's answer.

Gaara grabbed his head. It began to ache.

_**You are to give me her blood! I won't rest until I get it, you remember that.**_

It said. It withdrew for the moment, leaving Gaara alone, alone to wish Hinata was somewhere nearby.

(Back in Konoha)

Tsunade slept on her desk, paperwork everywhere on her desk, and slobber dribbling down her face, copying the print on a sheet of paper to her cheek. Suddenly, someone burst through the door. "Tsunade-sama." said someone. It was Shizune. "Naruto and the others have returned with Hinata." she said.

Tsunade looked evily at shizune for awakening her from her sleep. "So?" she said cluelessly.

"So!? Our missing Hyuuga has returned!" Shizune spat.

Tsunade shook her head, finally coming to her senses. "Oh yes! Hinata-Chan. I almost forgot. Is she okay?" asked Tsunade.

"…Actually…" said Shizune.

Tsunade looked at her, her eyes searching Shizune's for any hint of an answer.

"She's acting quite strangely. She didn't seem too enthused about being back in Konoha." said Shizune.

Tsunade sighed. "Call her here. I want to speak with her." said Shizune.

"And one more thing." Shizune said. "Seems as though she's been with Sabaku no Gaara most of the time she's been gone, except for the days when she was headed towards her destination." Shizune said.

Tsunade looked confused. "That's strange. Yes, call her up." she said.

(Ramen!!)

Naruto spotted Hinata sitting on a small bench on the outskirts of Konoha. He approached her happily, with a grin on his face. "Hey Hinata! How about you come with me and get some Ramen? It's on me!" he said trying to cheer her up. "Well…" Hinata said looking at Naruto.

_Naruto-kun is trying to cheer me up, and for once, I don't care so much…_

Hinata said astonishing herself. "That would be nice, Naruto." Hinata said smiling slightly.

Naruto smiled. "Alright! I'm getting pork with egg this time! I haven't tried that one in awhile!" Naruto said in a silly tone.

Hinata couldn't help but grin at Naruto. He sure could cheer somebody up. When Hinata and Naruto reached the ramen shop, they ment Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji there. Shikamaru turned around lazily to face the two coming towards him. He grinned a little when he saw Hinata.

"Glad your safe and sound back in Konoha Hinata." said Shikamaru with a lopsided grin.

"Arigato Shikamaru-kun." said Hinata. She sat between Shikamaru and Naruto, saying nothing else after that. Shikamaru eyed Naruto questioningly. All naruto did was try and whisper, "just cheer her up!" which was heard by Hinata anyway.

Ino smiled at Hinata. "Hey! You alright Hinata?" asked Ino.

_They're all trying to cheer me up…but now…now I feel pitied . Naruto wouldn't normally ask me to eat ramen with him, Ino never really talks to me, and Shikamaru…he thinks everything is troublesome, and I'm probably no different. So why all of this now?_

She thought. It was a strange feeling, one that left Hinata wanting to scream. She was slightly happy they were showing concern, but she was upset because everything that had happened made her seem like she needed someone to hold her hand every step of the way. Hinata stood up and bowed, her bangs falling in front of her face. "Gomen-nassai Naruto-kun, demo, I need to be alone." she said quickly, and then ran off.

Shikamaru frowned. "What a drag. All we were doing was trying to make her feel better. Oh well. Hey Chouji, get your face out that dish for a second and let's go." he said.

Chouji looked up for a second. "Is Hinata okay?" he asked.

Ino shook her head. "No. She looks pretty crappy right now if you ask me." said Ino.

(with hinata)

As Hinata ran off, a small tear came from her eye. "Was agreeing to come back with Kiba really such a good idea?" she asked herself. Her father hadn't even said a word to her since she'd been back. It made Hinata feel terrible. "This isn't working…" she said quietly. Suddenly, a jounin jumped out in front of her. "Hinata-chan, Tsunade-sama wishes to see you." he said and then jumped off. Hinata sighed. Why wouldn't anyone just leave her alone? It had been awhile since she had felt so agitated. Even so, she made her way towards the Hokage's building.

Tsunade was waiting behind her desk, scribbling something down, and then stamping it with a huge stamper. "Alright. All finished." she said, stacking the papers up. "Now I need some sak-"

"Tsunade-sama…you requested me?" Hinata asked.

Tsunade looked a little irritated. She had almost forgotten she summoned Hinata. Now she couldn't get the sake she longed for.

"Yes Hinata-chan." she said cooly. "Tell me…is it true that you were with Sabaku no Gaara while you were gone?" Tsunade asked.

Hinata was silent for a bit. "Yes." she said.

"Why?" Tsunade asked.

_She's making it seem like I've commited a crime._

Hinata thought a little worried.

(Temari and Kankuro)

Temari and Kankuro walked down a path leading back to the sand village. They assumed this mission was as good as over, and they could finally go home, and report that the mission ended in success.

"Temari," Kankuro began.

Temari looked over at him.

"Gaara…he…what should we do about him?" Kankuro asked.

"I don't know, Kankuro. He's the only one that can figure that out. We really have no say." Temari said.

Kankuro nodded slightly. "You're right." he said. "But I wonder…do you think he might actually be…a little, well, sad, disappointed?" Kankuro asked.

Temari stopped a minute. "He could be. I'm not sure though. He seemed more frustrated than I've ever really seen him today." said Temari. "If he needs us, which he probably won't, he'll come to us.' said Temari.

"Do you think he'll even catch up to us?" Kankuro asked.

"Catch up? Gaara could get here in the blink of an eye. He'll be fine." said Temari. But deep down, she didn't really know. Gaara seemed on edge. What had just happened, did it really mean that much to him?

End Chapter seven!! Next chapter is going to be good! I've already got it all planned out! So anyway, keep Rating it, and keep reading it. Arigato and sayonara!

Gaara : …I'm speechless right now. It's almost 2 in the morning, and I can see your not an insomniac…

Gaarazlilmiss : ((in pj's)) You got that right. Night!


	8. possesive

Ai (love)?

Gaarazlilmiss

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in Naruto, only this story and everything said in it.

Gaarazlilmiss : Konnichiwa everyone! This is chapter eight, and it's going to be…intense. Yes, I said intense. Gaara will venture to Konoha to find out exactly what Hinata means about all those things he told her, and when he finds her crying, he'll be there to comfort her(te he, gonna be cute), but Kiba will be coming to apologize for what he's done, and will find Gaara there with Hinata. This will lead to the big fight, and this time, Gaara won't hold back.(chap.9)

Gaara : Why did I hold back last time? He should have died right there.

Hinata : This sounds bad…

Gaarazlilmiss : Here we go!

Chapter 8 : Possesive

Gaara noticed that his other two siblings had ventured back to the sand village without him. This actually made him a bit happy. He wanted to be alone…no, not alone, with Hinata. Now he was thinking about actually finding her. It had been too long since he'd seen her. He wondered if this is what Hinata was trying to describe to him. This feeling that he felt. Standing up, Gaara decided something. "I want to see what she means." he said. His sand danced around him, making him vanish in thin air.

(Konoha)

Mere seconds later, Gaara was at the edge of Konoha. He looked around, seeing no sign of Hinata. He saw Naruto walking down the path towards him. Gaara used his sand to transport him to a nearby tree.

_He's so loud he'd ruin everything…_

Gaara thought. At this point in time, Naruto was nothing but a nuisance to Gaara. He didn't understand how the people that saw him constantly could put up with such a person.

"Yeah! Alright Iruka-sensei! It's about time!" said Naruto. He was walking with Iruka and talking to him about something.

"But you know, I could use a little more ramen first…" Naruto said.

"I thought you just had ramen Naruto. And you ate the rest of Hinata's." said Iruka.

"Well yeah, but she ate most of it!!" Naruto said lying.

Gaara listened intently.

_Hinata was with Naruto…where might she be now?_

He thought, sort of asking for Naruto to say where she was.

Iruka laughed. "I don't think so…but if you say so Naruto." he said.

"She was in such a hurry to leave, I don't know where she went! I was trying to cheer her up, so were Shikamaru, Chouji and Ino, but she just ran off." Naruto said. "A waste of ramen! That's what it was!" Naruto said sounding slightly arrogant.

Iruka smiled. "Well, if we're gonna get the ramen, you'd better hurry." said Iruka smiling slightly.

Naruto jumped. "Yeah!" he said. When he was up high enough, he looked directly at Gaara, then fell back to the ground.

Gaara's eyes widened slightly, as he thought Naruto saw him.

"That's one weird tree! There something blotchy and red in it, and it's nowhere near fall yet!" Naruto said, but he kept walking with Iruka.

Gaara closed his eyes, happy that Naruto of all people didn't realize that was him.

_What a fool…_

Thought Gaara. Apparently, Naruto didn't know where Hinata had went off to, so he went elsewhere, where he saw Shino. He was talking to Kurenai-Sensei.

"She's back, but not in the best condition." Shino said to Kurenai.

_Everyone's saying almost the exact same thing about her…_

Gaara thought.

"It would appear so. I wonder what happened. Was she actually with Sabaku no Gaara?" asked Kurenai.

"Yes. She was." said Shino

Kurenai's eyes widened.

"Tsunade-sama apparently called her to her office. She's talking to her right now." said Shino.

Kurenai nodded. "I wonder when she'll be back with us." she said. "Oh well…she'll come when she's ready." Kurenai said. After that, she left. Shino didn't turn around.

"Whoever's here, just show yourself." he said.

Gaara hesitated. It was a good thing he did. Kiba stepped out from behind a tree. "Sorry. I-"

"Why were you hiding?" asked Shino.

"I guess I didn't want to speak to Kurenai-sensei." he said. "So, when will Tsunade-sama be done talking to her?" asked Kiba.

"It should be soon." said Shino.

"I want to talk to her. I think I made her mad." he said, scratching his head.

Shino just looked at him. "Try it." he said.

Kiba nodded. "Yeah. For once your right, bug boy." said Kiba as he walked off.

Gaara sneered a little bit. It was him. It was that Kiba guy that had persuaded Hinata to leave. He was going to talk to her? Gaara didn't like the sound of that. If he had any intention on hurting her any further, Gaara would kill him;

Gaara decided to follow Kiba.

_So this is what she has to put up with daily…_

He thought. He followed kiba to the Hokage's office.

Kiba's sense of smell was great, and he could smell Gaara…somewhere.

"That guy…is he here?" Kiba asked.

Gaara, hearing that, took a different path from Kiba, because now he knew where he was going.

"The scent is fading…He's here somewhere, I've got to get to Hinata." Kiba said.

(in the hokage's office)

"Hinata…why were you with him?" Tsunade asked Hinata curiously.

"…Because…" Hinata said bowing her head.

"Why?" Tsunade asked again.

Hinata had no clue that Gaara was listening to every word and spying with his third eye.

He was curious to hear what Hinata would say.

"…Tsunade-sama…I…I l-liked him…he wasn't how people think he is. He's much diffrent than that. I…I actually felt cared about for once." said Hinata.

Tsunade looked at Hinata. She was shocked.

Gaara almost smiled. She just said she liked him. No one, not even Temari or Kankuro had ever said that.

_She belongs to me._

_**You are becoming possesive over this girl…**_

The shukaku said with humor.

_**Still, you know what I want you to do.**_

He said once more.

Gaara didn't listen to him, or at least, he tried not to.

A few knocks hit the door.

"Yes, come in." said Tsunade.

Kiba stepped in. "Hokage-sama…." he said politely bowing.

Hinata just looked at Kiba.

"Yes Kiba?" Tsunade asked.

"Were Hinata and you…were you done talking to her, Tsunade-sama?" asked Kiba.

"Hmm. Impatient aren't we? Well yes, I suppose. I want to go and get some Sake, so you and your little girlfriend can go." Tsunade said shooing them out.

"GIRLFRIEND!?" Kiba yelled.

"Oh. Gomen-nassai. I thought that's why you wanted to see her so bad." Tsunade said.

Kiba sighed. "Um, Hinata, I wanted to talk to you." he said.

Hinata grinned a little. "Hai, Kiba-kun." she said.

The two walked out of the Hokage's building and into the small training area.

Gaara wasn't too far behind. He kept an adequate distance, so Kiba wouldn't sense him right on.

"Hinata…What did he do? What did he say to you?" asked Kiba. He wanted to know why Hinata had defended him, and why she had seemed so aggravated.

"G-gomen-nassai, Kiba-kun…I can't really tell you. " she said.

Kiba got angry again. This was killing him. "Why not!?" he asked harshly.

Hinata jumped a little. "I just can't…" she said. "Even though he's not here, it still isn't right. I just…" she said.

"HINATA!" Kiba said. "What is so different about me that you can't tell me, your teammate, but you can openly talk to a monster!?" he demanded.

Gaara was getting angered watching this. So this is what she meant.

"…I cannot talk…" Hinata said running off. This was the last straw. She was tired of this. She had returned, yet everything was still the same.

She walked back home. Maybe it would be different there. Just maybe. It was a desperate thought, but she was desperate… desperate for change. Hinata walked into the Hyuuga mansion. Family members stared at her in disgust. Hinata knew something was wrong. Hiashi, her father, sat in the room farthest down the hallway. Beside him was Hanabi, and coming out of the room was Neji. Neji's eyes had a slight bit of humor in them as he walked out. Hinata wondered what that was.

Gaara's third eye sat in the corner of that room, unnoticed. This didn't look good at all. She did slightly remind him of himself.

"Hinata." Hiashi said sternly looking at her.

Hinata bowed quickly until Hiashi ordered her to rise.

"Do you know what you've done?" asked Hiashi.

"Father…I just wanted to-"

"You've caused quite an uproar." he said. "And, It appears the person you were with this entire time is one this village isn't to enthusiastic about. Sabaku no Gaara?" he asked.

Hinata gulped, and her dry throat hurt as she did it. Hanabi sat beside Hiashi smirking the entire time. She enjoyed seeing her sister squirm underneath her father's gaze and harsh words.

"No matter what you do, you will always be weak. Weak minded, and weak in physical stature. I have already told you, this is your limit. You can't do anything else. Why do you keep pushing yourself?" he asked her.

"Because…I-I just, I mean, I w-wanted to make a d-difference." she said.

"You've already made one. You aren't like the rest of the Hyuuga clan. Your different and always will be. From this day forward, I'm herby declaring you…exiled." Hiashi said.

Hinata looked at him in disbelief. "N-no…you…father…I just…I was just trying…" hinata mumbled.

"Go. You don't belong in this house. " he said looking at her with eyes that could kill. Hanabi resisted the strong urge to smile.

Hinata bowed once more, and then ran out, tears falling from her eyes like heavy rain.

Neji watched as she ran out. "She's pathetic…" he said as he walked back in.

Hinata ran towards an alleyway that was close to the back of town and cried. She had been exiled. She could no longer take step into the hyuuga mansion. Never. She wasn't a hyuuga anymore. She was just Hinata.

Gaara couldn't belive his ears. Hinata was no longer a hyuuga. He ran off after her.

_She was right._

He said.

He walked upon Hinata crying uncontrollably. She didn't even notice he was nearby.

He approached her slowly, wiping a stray tear from her eye.

Hinata looked up, and gasped when she saw Gaara.

"G-Gaara-k-kun." she said, her voice stuttering against her will. She didn't think. She buried her head in Gaara's shoulder and cried.

Gaara put the palm of his hand on the back of Hinata's head, entertwining her dark hair between his fingers. "Hinata -chan…you were right…" he said. "We are alike."

He lifted her face up.

_Even in tears, she's…_

Gaara couldn't let the word escape even in his mind.

The shukaku chuckled softly inside of him.

"Hinata. I think I understand what you were trying to explain." he said.

Hinata looked at him curiously.

"Ai. I understand what it is now…" he said.

Hinata smiled at him.

"I want to share that feeling with you. Please allow me to." he said quietly.

Without thinking, Gaara kissed her, his hand placed on the small of her back.

Hinata stopped her crying, her tears drying on her face.

_Gaara-kun…only you can understand me…_

She thought.

Gaara was taken by his sudden reaction, but that didn't stop him.

Hinata placed her arms loosely around his neck as he held her.

They pulled away from each other slowly, gasping for air and still holding on to each other.

"Gaara-kun…" said Hinata. She was pretty much speechless.

"I heard and saw it all." Gaara explained to her.

Then suddenly, both of them heard a low growling in the alleyway with them.

Both eyes shot over to Kiba, who was looking menacingly at Gaara

"Gaara…you…" Kiba said growling still. Akamaru was standing beside him, fangs barred.

Gaara immediately returned to himself. "What? Is there a problem?" he asked blankly.

"Today your gonna die you bastard!!" Kiba yelled running towards him in a fury.

"KIBA!!" Hinata yelled.

Suddenly, Kiba's fist pounded into sand, but Gaara noticed the new strength behind his blows. Akamaru stood nearby, waiting until Kiba actually needed him.

"Kiba-kun!" Hinata said. She looked between the two, neither one of them noticing her calls.

Hinata was tired of just standing by. She had to do something. It was up to her, and even if she'd failed to make somewhat of a diffrence, even if it was just two people she could stop from killing each other, that would be enough.

OH! End of Chapter 8! Betcha can't wait to see what happens in Chapter 9 huh?

Gaara : It's simple. He'll die.

Gaarazlilmiss : You know, I never realized how blunt you are.

Hinata : Um…this is an akward chapter to me…

Gaarazlilmiss : Yeah, I understand that. Hope you all enjoyed and will read Chapter 9!!


	9. Kiba's death?

Ai (love)?

Gaarazlilmiss

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in Naruto, only this story and everything said in it.

Gaarazlilmiss : Well, here it is, chapter nine! I'm not going to spoil anything, so your gonna have to read the story this time!

Gaara : So what's so special about this chapter? ((asks blandly))

Gaarazilmiss : well, for one, it's my longest chapter ever, and two, well, like I said, no spoilers!

Hinata : I curious as to what happens

Gaara : Don't encourage her!

Gaarazlilmiss : To bad Gaara, it's not only Hinata, but all the people reviewing! So ha! Take that!

Gaara : ((Groans))

Chapter nine : Kiba's death??

Hinata focused all the chakra into her fingertips. "Forgive me you two…" Hinata said quietly. She rushed towards Kiba, and gently tapped him on the back of his neck, making him fall unconscious. Gaara was surprised by her reaction, and hardly saw her when she did the same to him.

(later on)

Gaara awoke with a throbbing head, and a sore neck. "Nani?" he asked hoarsely.

"Gaara-kun…" said Hinata. Her soft voice was unmistakable.

Gaara slowly sat up and looked over at Hinata. "Where am I?" asked Gaara.

"The hospital." Hinata said simply. In her hands she held a small flower.

Gaara just looked at her. He didn't want to be in this place. "What happened?" he asked. Then he remembered. His mind went back to when he was about to fight Kiba. Hinata had done something to him. How did she get around his sand? It took great speed to complete such a feat. "I must kill him." Gaara said. He was acting like his old self again.

"No. You can't." said Hinata.

Gaara shifted slightly and winced in pain a little. "What did you do to me!?" he yelled.

"It will wear away shortly. Don't worry. I had to do that. You two wouldn't listen to me." HInata said quietly.

Gaara frowned. He jumped up anyway, despite the pain in his neck. "And Kiba…where is he?" he asked.

Hinata didn't speak.

"Where?" he asked again. His eyes slowly started to shift into a glare.

Hinata was wise enough to know she had to answer him, or it would be her that suffered the consequences. Just as she was about to speak, Gaara stopped her.

"Hinata…" he said.

Hinata looked at him, the slightest bit of fear shone in her eyes.

Gaara saw that, and shook his head. "Gomen-nassai." he said.

Hinata looked at him a bit confused.

"But I have to fight him." said Gaara. Not only was it for hinata, but it was also because the shukaku was in a rage for not having any blood for so long. He couldn't let that be Hinata.

Hinata didn't understand. "But…" she said, but when she looked up at him, he was gone

Hinata panicked slightly. "Oh no…" she thought.

(With Gaara) 

Gaara didn't know if Kiba was in the hospital too, or if he was somewhere else. By now, everyone should know that Gaara was here. It made him frustrated again.

_Great…_

He thought.

He didn't want his little visit to be known.

Naruto was leaning up against the wall, and it seemed like he knew Gaara would be out soon. He just stared at him; his eyes squinted so much they appeared closed.

"Hey Gaara." Naruto said in a slightly loud voice.

Gaara didn't stop walking, so Naruto walked up with him.

Gaara glared at Naruto. "Leave me alone Uzumaki." Gaara said bluntly.

"No. I mean, you are in our village, so why are you here?" Naruto asked. "It's everyone's buissness, because you've never been one to show up like this." Naruto finished. He was slightly worried.

Gaara stopped. Slowly, his eyes rolled over into a position in which he could see Naruto. "You are clueless Naruto. Just like everyone else." said gaara. After he said that, he began to walk again.

"About what!? Why do you have to be so damn vague?" Naruto asked as he ran up.

"Haven't you noticed how Hinata feels? And how she felt about you?" asked Gaara.

"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Naruto.

"My points exactly, take a closer look." Gaara said, and then disappeared so Naruto wouldn't follow him anymore.

Naruto looked confused, and then decided to go and find Hinata to ask her what Gaara was talking about.

(With Kiba)

Kiba sat up, bandages on his neck, and around his exposed stomach. He had just came back into consciousness and noticed he was in a hospital room. "Gaara…" Kiba said with a frown. Akamaru sat on kiba's bed, wagging his tail at notice that kiba had awakened. "So you're here too?" Kiba asked rubbing him slightly. "I wonder…where is Hinata?" he asked.

"Not in here." said someone.

Kiba looked around, and finally spotted the small particles of sand swirling around, until Gaara was visible.

"Argh! What do you want!?" Kiba asked taking an offensive position.

"To warn you." Gaara said cooly.

_**Heh! Warn huh? This kid won't take a warning, kill him now and we can get this little squabble over with quickly! **_

The shukaku said.

Gaara was highly tempted to do what the shukaku said, but he remembered Hinata, and thought better of it. "If you harm Hinata, and that means physically or mentally, I'll kill you." Gaara said simply.

Kiba sneered. "Look who's talking! Same to you! Stay away from her. She is of konoha, and you're not getting in my way." Kiba said.

Gaara's face slowly twisted into a smirk. "I could kill you right now. You weak in the first place, and now you're lying here. I wouldn't speak so much as another word if I were you." he said. "And so you know…" Gaara began as he started to walk out, "I don't think Hinata will be a problem for you." he said, and then left.

Kiba's eye twitched out of anger, and it took all his strength not to run after, and attack Gaara.

_I never in all my life thought I'd have any problems directly with this psyco…_

Kiba thought.

He unraveled his bandages and looked at himself. He had pushed himself so hard by using all that extra strength, he had damaged himself. He had a large black bruise stretching across both arms, and one on his stomach. His neck still felt sore, but he couldn't remember where that had come from.

…_Oh yes. That was Hinata…_

He thought. She had stopped him, and as much as Kiba loathed admitting it, she might have saved his life.

(Naruto and Hinata)

"Hinata-chan…" Naruto began as he walked into Gaara's previous room and sat beside her.

Hinata looked up at Naruto. "Yes?" she asked.

"Gaara…I talked to him." he said.

Hinata stood up. "Where did he go? I have to find him before he-"

"Hinata-chan…how have you felt?" Naruto asked. He seemed so calm about this and for once, serious.

Hinata looked at Naruto, surprised by his question. "I…" she began.

Naruto waited calmly.

"…Alone, pitied, sad, weak, unwanted, and sometimes, I even feel despised…" Hinata answered.

Naruto's face was twisted into shock at all those negative things that Hinata had been feeling.

"But…I mean, why didn't you tell me?" Naruto asked.

"Because, I didn't want you…I didn't want you to see me as some miserable girl that needed all your attention…" Hinata said. "I wanted to gain your attention in other ways. Not because I wanted you to feel sorry for me." Hinata said. "Sakura, Ino, Tenten, everyone else actually, no one ever seemed to have such a hard time gaining that." she said. "And I wanted you, I wanted you to see me as Hyuuga Hinata…someone…someone you loved." Hinata said.

"Someone I…loved?" he asked.

_Haven't you noticed how she feels? And how she's felt about you?_

Naruto couldn't belive it. Did Hinata actually like him? He hadn't ever noticed. He hadn't noticed how sad Hinata really was. Gaara was right. Everyone was oblivious to this. No one knew how she felt, and that is why she ran away, and that is also why she was with Gaara. Because he was so much like her that he could understand her perfectly, and Hinata appreciated that. Naruto felt rotten.

"Hinata-chan…" Naruto began.

Hinata looked over at him.

"I didn't know…" he said.

"Naruto-kun, it is okay. You don't have to worry about it anymore." she said.

"Now, I must find Gaara-kun." said Hinata, and she stood up to leave. "Today, I'm leaving Konoha for good." she finished

Naruto grabbed her hand. "Is there anything that I can do to make that up to you?" he asked.

Hinata smiled warmly at Naruto. "You already have Naruto-kun." Hinata said and walked out.

Naruto only looked after her.

Hinata ran off down the hallways and outside. Gaara was nowhere around here. "Byakugan!" Hinata said. She didn't see a thing still.

"Is there really any use for that?" asked a familiar voice.

Hinata turned around and saw Gaara. He had a sort of half smile on his face. "Gaara-kun." said Hinata walking over to him. "How come I didn't see…" Hinata began.

"So…are you still going to come with me to Sunagakure?" he asked.

Hinata smiled. "Yes. I thought I wouldn't be able to see you for a long time." Hinata said. She really thought it was over. "There is nothing left for me here. I'm no longer a Hyuuga." she said.

Gaara looked at her, a little worry showing in his eyes. "You're okay?" he asked.

Hinata shook her head. "It was bound to happen. I couldn't have stopped it even if I wanted to." Hinata said. Her father, she had realized, would look down upon her no matter what she did, even if she became stronger, he would tell her that she had become stronger AFTER her sister who was younger, and her sister would still ridicule her about it.

Gaara nodded. "With that weight lifted from your shoulders, you will be able to focus more on your training, despite what your father says, you will become what you aimed for. Don't do things just to please someone else. It doesn't work." said Gaara, remembering all the things he had done to please someone else and it all was in vain.

"…Gaara…what do you aim for?" asked Hinata suddenly.

Gaara thought about his answer. "What I aim for…" he said.

The shukaku couldn't help but tease him on.

_**Everyone's complete destruction. Come on, no one cared for you. That should be your aim in life.**_

The shukaku said.

_Someone does care about me._

Gaara thought.

_**This girl doesn't care about you if that's what you were about to say…**_

The shukaku said.

…_Then…why is she still here? Why did she show me what ai actually was?_

Gaara riddled.

…_**Stupid boy.**_

Was all the shukaku could say.

Gaara smiled at his loss for words.

"I aim…to be the kazekage." he said.

Hinata gasped. "Just like…" Hinata said.

_I'm gonna be the hokage! Then everyone will stop picking on me and start treating me like I'm somebody!_

"Naruto-kun…" said Hinata.

Gaara stared at her for a second.

_**Don't make me laugh! You want to be like your fool of a father!?**_

The shukaku said.

Gaara nodded. "Yes." he said.

_And no, I don't want to be like my father...I want to be better than him._

Gaara said answering the shukaku.

Hinata smiled as she walked with him.

_He's very interesting…_

She thought.

Suddenly, Hinata heard someone calling her name.

"HINATA!!! You've got to come back! It's kiba!!" said TenTen running after her.

Hinata stopped, and both Gaara and herself turned around to face Tenten. She panted when she caught up. "Kiba! He's at the Hyuuga mansion, and…" she said.

"What? But Tenten, I can't go back in there!" said Hinata.

"But it's…" said Tenten.

Hinata followed her, Gaara not too far behind.

"What's going on Tenten?" Hinata asked.

"Kiba heard about your father exiling you. And after that, Naruto told him you were leaving! He figured that your father banishing you was another reason why you were leaving and actually went into the hyuuga mansion asking Hyuuga Hiashi why he did it, and it's gotten bad…" said Tenten.

Hinata's face went pale. She didn't want to take another step into the Hyuuga mansion, but Kiba…

_Kiba…why are you going to such lengths just for me? It's getting you and I both hurt…_

She said.

When the three arrived at the Hyuuga mansion, there was dust everywhere, and townspeople surrounding it, wondering what was going on.

"The boy must be a fool going into the hyuuga mansion like that. He's so rash." said a woman.

"Yeah, but you remember he's an inuzuka…" said another. "What a wild child." said another.

Hinata rushed past the people and Gaara wasn't too far behind. Tenten stayed where she was, looking on curiously.

"This guy…he's such a troublemaker…" Gaara said distastefully.

Hinata sighed. "KIBA!!!" she called. Hiashi was standing in front of a tired kiba, his face scratched up, and Akamaru lying on his side, like he was all tired out. Had Kiba fought Hiashi?

"HINATA!" Hiashi said in a booming voice.

"Hiashi-sama…" Hinata said bowing.

Gaara noticed her weakness around her father. Her knees shook, her face was pale, and her voice was weak and cowering.

"What is this?" he asked and moved one hand towards Kiba.

"I…I don't…" Hinata stuttered.

"But why did you banish her? She did nothing wrong! The person you should be attacking is that guy!" Kiba said looking at Gaara with eyes that could kill.

Gaara glared. "That's it, your dead!" said Gaara. He didn't use his sand this time, but instead rushed towards kiba.

"Do you not understand what your doing to this place!?" hiashi said. They were trespassing on Hyuuga ground.

Hinata fell back, unable to believe what she was seeing.

_There is no way around it…I cannot stop it…_

She said. The only way that this would ever be solved, was if they fought, and that was her final conclusion.

Fist met skin, and the loud punching could be heard. Kiba punched Gaara square in the chest sending him flying backward and hitting the ground.

"That's not it!" Kiba growled running towards him.

Gaara's eyes widened. "Sabaku kyuu!!" he yelled.

This time, Kiba was caught as he was unable to stop in time.

Gaara jumped up. He began to make the sand squeeze in on Kiba, slowly constricting him and prolonging kiba's pain.

"Hinata…this is who you were with…" Hiashi said, looking at Gaara in slight worry. He knew this was the one that had caused the uproar about a year ago.

Hinata nodded. "Yes." she said numbly. All Hinata could think about was what she was seeing.

"I warned you, did I not?" Gaara said. "You didn't think I met what I said?!" he yelled, finally pulling the sand in on Kiba tighter until Kiba yelled out in pain.

Kiba looked between everyone. He saw Hinata, whose face was stuck in horror and in shock, he saw Hiashi, who was furious, he saw Gaara, who was glaring coldly at him. And then he realized…

_I've been acting so fast…I haven't even stopped to consider how Hinata feels about any of this…what if…what if I'm the only one who feels this way?_

He thought. He hadn't even stopped to consider that.

_She was with him…in that alleyway. She kissed him. Not me… I never even told her how I felt, now, I think it's too late…_

Thought Kiba.

Hinata stood. Everything was so fast happening. She wasn't sure what Gaara was thinking right now, but it couldn't be good.

_**Do it. Kill him, and then turn around and do the same to that girl and her father!!**_

The shukaku said. He was happy about Gaara's bloodlust at the moment. He finally wanted to kill.

Gaara squeezed Kiba tighter until kiba couldn't even yell out in pain.

Naruto ran in. "Kiba!!!" he yelled. "Gaara!! Stop this!" said Naruto.

"He didn't listen to me!" Gaara said in his cool tone "He will die for that mistake!" he said.

"Sabaku Sousou!!" Gaara yelled.

"GAARA!!!" yelled Hinata.

Gaara : Why'd you stop the chapter there!?

Gaarazlilmiss : Admit it Gaara, you're starting to enjoy this story!

Gaara : No ( liar!!)

Gaarazlilmiss : Whatever.

Hinata : This is a stressful chapter Gaara-kun

Gaara : It's…it's alright.

Gaarazlimiss : Hope you enjoyed it, read the next chapter soon, Chapter 10!! Did Kiba die...or did he live?


	10. Split feelings

Ai (love)?

Gaarazlilmiss

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in Naruto, only this story and everything said in it.

Hello! Chapter 10 is here! Yeah, It's pretty short, sry bout that, just another bridge chapter actually! I would like to, again, thank all my reviewers!! I have over thirty reviews now, and I really appreciate all the encouraging comments I have received! So, as recap of chapter 9, Hinata stopped the battle between Kiba and Gaara by using her gentle fist style combat, and newfound speed (Thank you adrenaline and determination!) to knock them both unconscious for a bit. After the brief hospitalization, Gaara left, and warned Kiba about meddling with Hinata, and himself. Kiba, not taking this warning seriously heard from Naruto(Which wasn't directly in the story…) that Hinata had been banished, and ran off to confront Hiashi Hyuuga, which led to a fight between the two. Hinata and Gaara were told by tenten before they left that Kiba had gotten into a fight with Hyuuga Hiashi and the two went off to see what was going on. So when Kiba said something out of line about Gaara, Gaara has tried to kill Kiba. Did he do it? We're gonna see!

Gaara : It should turn out that way…he's a bother…

Hinata : No, kiba-kun has just been worried about me, that's all

Gaarazlilmiss : On with the story!

Chapter 10 : Split feelings

"GAARA!!" Hinata yelled.

Just before Gaara had a chance to crush Kiba for good, something happened.

"I-I can't…move…" Gaara said.

Everyone turned around to see Shikamaru standing there, with Ino and Chouji as well. "You all make too much noise, how troublesome." said Shikamaru with a grin.

Kiba glanced over at Shikamaru and grinned weakly before he passed out.

Hinata sighed with relif.

The sand encasing Kiba began to slowly drop back to the ground, in a lifeless pile just like it had done before, and Kiba feel limply to the ground. Hinata ran over to examine him. "His arms and legs…" Hinata said worried.

Hiashi looked at Hinata, Gaara, and Kiba briefly before his gaze stopped on Hinata. "I suppose you all are going to pay for this damage…" he said.

Naruto looked at him. "Old man! You did some of this yourself when you were fighting Kiba!" he finished.

"It would not have happened if he had not trespassed on Hyuuga property. " Hiashi said, and began to walk back in the house.

Neji had watched the whole thing. "I don't understand Hinata…why does she even bother with that fiend?" he asked, then walked back as well.

Shikamaru slightly loosened the grip of his shadow technique. "Well…you aren't going to try anything else funny, are you?" he asked Gaara.

Gaara growled slightly. "Let me go." he said cooly.

Shikamaru took off the shadow technique, and glanced over at Kiba.

_He definetly won't be moving for awhile…but…_

Thought Gaara. He looked over at Hinata who had stood up by now and was allowing Ino and Chouji to take Kiba away towards the clinic. "Hinata-chan…" he said.

Hm?" Hinata asked.

"Do you wish to stay?" he asked nodding slightly to kiba. He knew what Hinata must have been thinking.

Hinata looked at everyone else, who were all anxious to hear her reply. "…No…I don't have to wait…I-I can always come back." said Hinata.

Gaara smiled slightly at her answer. He didn't want to wait any longer in this village. It was a waste of time, and the longer he stayed, the more danger Kiba was in, and gaara knew that Hinata wouldn't like that, although the shukaku didn't care much either way.

_The only reason I don't kill him is because of her._

Gaara thought. That was it.

(later)

The two had traveled for a long time, across the desert and finally made it into Sunagakure. It was a place that seemed ready for attack. Gaara answered her unspoken question.

"Sunagakure…it's protected by the desert, as well as by the fortress build up around it, but…" he said hesitantly, "But it's jounin, chunin, almost everyone excluding the Kazekage maybe, aren't as skilled as we'd like them. Therefore, we still get attacked often. Honestly, that is one reason I want to become Kazekage." he said.

_He's talking so openly to me now…that's good._

Hinata said. "Then what's the other reason?" she asked.

"…" Gaara said nothing for a bit. "Because I want to be accepted." he said.

_He reminds me so much of Naruto-kun…_

Hinata thought. "So…where do you stay?" she asked looking around at the village's unique structure. "I stay in the Kazekage's tower along with Temari and Kankuro." he said.

"So..does that mean…?" Hinata asked, a growing smile on her face.

Gaara nodded.

"Wow…!" Hinata said. Her smile faded when she saw that Gaara didn't really smile at this. "what's wrong now?" she asked.

"…Although you will stay in the Kazekage's tower, I may not get to see you so much. Temari and Kankuro will help you around until I can." he said.

"But…why?" she asked.

"I'm somewhat of the village's defense. I get sent out on missions alone all the time, and therefore, I won't see you as often." said Gaara. "It's just…good to know…" he said not knowing whether to say what he felt or not.

"Hai?" Hinata asked.

"That you'll be somewhere nearby, so when I come back, I'll know you're here." he said.

Hinata blushed deeply.

As they walked into the Kazekage's tower, they noticed all the stares they received. "Wh-"

"Just ignore them." said Gaara.

Hinata nodded slightly. They walked up a flight of stairs until Gaara stopped at a certain room. "?hm?" Hinata asked.

"Wait here." he said. He walked in, and Hinata listened.

"It's about time you returned, Gaara. Temari and Kankuro were about to launch a search and rescue team on you." said someone's unidentifiable voice in a slightly amused way.

"Why bother?" Gaara asked cooly. Unlike when he talked to Hinata, his voice was cold and unfeeling again. Was it just her? For some reason, she liked to think so.

"The mission ended in success they said." said the person.

"Yes." said Gaara simply. "But the Hyuuga has been exiled." he said again.

Hinata noted that he called her hyuuga when talking to this person, but Hinata or hinata-chan when talking to her directly. His switch in personality was a huge one.

"So? Did you not complete your mission?" the person asked.

"Yes, but the Hyuuga is staying here." he said.

There was a long silence. "But…"

"She is going to stay here." Gaara repeated.

"…And that was okay with Konoha?" asked the person.

"As far as we can see." said Gaara.

The person sighed. "Then…I guess…" said the man.

"That's good." said Gaara turning to leave. He hated talking to these people. He closed the door behind him, and Hinata heard exasperated sigh. He turned to Hinata, his eyes turning from that that looked like cool ice to a normal calm look.

"Gaara." said someone quickly from the door.

Gaara just stood there. "You must go back to konoha and…pay a… debt…?" the guy asked confused as he read the message from some paper.

Gaara grinned ever so slightly at his confusion. "Understood." said Gaara.

He nodded to Hinata. "I have to go again. This is sort of what I ment, except it's never to go pay off debts." he said with a slight smile.

"Hai." said Hinata with a grin.

Before Gaara realized it himself, he gave Hinata a gentle kiss and smiled slightly as he walked away.

Hinata smiled as she turned around, and then saw two people standing there smiling toothy smiles and chuckling slightly. "So, Gaara's found a girlfriend? I knew that's why he treated you all different." said Kankuro with a grin about as wide as his face.

Hinata blushed deeply. "W-well…I…" she said.

"Ah, don't worry about it. Here, I guess I should show you were to go. We heard it all, and I couldn't help but listen when I saw you with Gaara." said Temari.

Hinata grinned a little. Just like siblings, eavesdropping wasn't something uncommon around them.

As Hinata walked with Temari, she couldn't help but think about Kiba. He had been crushed. His legs and arms couldn't be used for a long time, and in the worst case, never. She felt slightly guilty for leaving him there, without saying a word to him, and a little worried that Gaara himself had to go back to Konoha ALONE, and Kiba was still there, in critical condition. She almost ran out, wanting to find Kiba.

_But why…why did he do that?_

She asked herself.

Gaara was actually going to kill him, and if it weren't for Shikamaru, he'd be dead. She also couldn't help but wonder what the rest of Konoha thought about her, because of what she had done. Just leaving Kiba there, and leaving with Gaara of all the people. She tried to push those thoughts back done, saying to herself that it was over, and she was starting her life anew, but for some reason, she couldn't help but wonder, especially about…

_Naruto…what does he think of me now?_

End Chapter Ten! Hey, that rhymes a little!

Gaara : This person is such a retard…

Gaarazlilmiss : I heard that!!

Gaara : …so…

Hinata : ((giggles))

Gaarazlilmiss : This chapter was actually quite short, so the next one will make up for that. It's going to be a pretty good chapter if I say so myself, but anyway, Ja ne, and I hope you'll read chapter 11!


	11. Deadly debt

Ai (love)?

Gaarazlilmiss

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in Naruto, only this story and everything said in it.

Here we are again with Chapter 11! I don't know why, but I really like this chapter. I guess the ending is what I liked writing most. I love action. Anyway, enjoy!

Hinata : ((Reading reviews)) hello to you as well Child of Phoenix!

Gaara : …Hi.

Gaarazlilmiss : Please excuse Gaara. He's a pain in the butt all the time, and can't even give a decent konnichiwa.

Gaara : ((Chases Gaarazlilmiss without mercy))

Gaarazlilmiss : AHHHH!!! Uh, um, Chapter eleven! Hope you enjoy! Ahhh!

Chapter 11 : Deadly Debt

As Temari walked along with Hinata, she couldn't help but grin at the timid girl. Her face was a light red from her slight blushing when Temari and Kankuro had teased her slightly about Gaara. She could plainly see that Hinata and Gaara were as different as night and day. It was surely interesting to see such a couple form, especially because it was her little brother, the little possessed boy, that had obtained such a girl, and she accepted him. Temari stopped suddenly at a door. "Hinata-chan. This will be where you stay." she said.

Hinata walked in slowly, Temari right behind her. "This room is so elegant looking." said Hinata. There was a large window, taking up almost the entire curved wall at the far end, where she could see all of Sunagakure, and its desert stretching out far and wide. The bed was huge, much too big for one person, but it looked very comfortable. The room was adorned with wild desert flowers here and there, and another door, possibly leading to a bathroom. It was something Hinata, although noble in Konoha, had never seen considering her father liked everything plain and simple, and it surely did not shadow their rich and high stature. All in all, Hinata enjoyed just looking at the room, and couldn't believe she'd be staying in it. "Wow…" was all she said.

"Yeah, I figured you'd like this one. I use to like staying in this room for some reason, more than my own. I guess it's because of the nice view, and the aroma the flowers gave it, but since you're Gaara's "special" guest, I think you should have it." said Temari, a smirk forming on her face.

Hinata blushed again. "Thank you Temari-chan." she said.

"No problem. Hey, that's not all either. If you'd like, I can show you around Sunagakure, since you will be staying here, you need to know your way around." said Temari.

Kankuro poked his head in the door. "Yeah. Hey Hinata-chan, did Gaara actually have to go back to Konoha just to pay off a debt?" he asked curiously.

Hinata frowned a little. "Actually…yes." she said.

Temari noticed the grim look on Hinata's face, changed from the happy one she carried only seconds before.

_Here I am, in the Kazekage's tower and all these riches at my fingertips, while Kiba is lying in a hospital bed, maybe immobile for life. I can't help but feel guilty…What am I to do though? I didn't ask him to do that…but…Still…_

Hinata thought. Her thoughts were so deep, she didn't notice Kankuro and Temari looking at her, with confusion splattered all over their faces.

Hinata suddenly snapped back into reality somewhat, and looked at Temari. "Um, so…were you still going to show me around?" she asked Temari.

" " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "

Naruto sat in the hospital with Shikamaru, Chouji, Ino, and Sakura. Today just didn't seem right.

"Damn! Seems like I've spent my entire day in the hospital!" Naruto said.

Sakura nodded slightly. She had to admit that Naruto was right about this one. They HAD spent a lot of time in the hospital lately.

"You know what really bugs me?" Shikamaru asked.

"Nani?" asked Naruto.

"That Hinata left anyway. She didn't even come to check on Kiba." said Shikamaru.

"Yeah…your right." said Naruto looking up at the ceiling. "She just left…with the person that crushed Kiba…do you think she actually cares about Kiba?" asked Naruto.

Sakura closed her eyes. "Hinata's not that kind of person. I'm telling you, I think Gaara's done something. I mean, with all those spooky techniques he's got, it wouldn't be unlikely that Hinata's under some sort of spell!" said Sakura.

_CHA!!! I just know that weirdo's done something to hinata-chan! She'd never leave a member of her team down like that!!!_

Sakura thought, her fist clenched and her face turned up in disgust in reality however.

"Uh…sakura-chan…?" Naruto asked.

"Question is what though?" asked Chouji, a bag of potato chips propped up in his lap, and his hand digging around for a straight chip.

"Beats me…" said Sakura. "They left for…Sunagakure?" She asked.

Before her question was answered, the light in the critical condition room turned to green, signifying that if was okay for the visitors to come in. Kiba's sister and mother walked out of the room, both looking saddened. "Kiba…" said his sister, not once looking at the people sitting on the bench.

Everyone followed the two with their eyes. Something wasn't good.

" " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "

Gaara trudged through the desert. Nighttime was fast approaching, and he had wanted to be with Hinata her first night in Sunagakure. Thanks to her dumb father, he had to go back to Konoha to pay off…well, a backbreaking amount of money. His mind kept venturing to Hinata, apparently a weakness of his now, and although he tried not to think about her to keep from running back to Sunagakure, it was nearly impossible.

He kept thinking about how sweet her smile was, how bright her eyes were, and most of all, how she felt when he himself touched her. She was like satin, almost softer. He didn't understand at all, not one bit, how she had twisted him around her finger. That day he first saw her, training, literally killing herself she was pushing herself so hard, she was frightened out of her skin. Now she wasn't stuttering so badly, and she wasn't afraid to be near him. All his life he had been feared, shunned, not even his siblings felt safe around him. They had to spy on him, just to be sure he didn't' do anything wrong supposedly. It was really annoying up until this point in his life. Hinata had changed all that. He had wanted people to fear him, now, he didn't want her to fear him. He wanted her…to love him.

Gaara could hear the Shukaku laughing at his foreign thoughts. Never had Gaara thought about anything this intimately. This girl had changed his ways of thinking greatly. Although the shukaku was laughing, it actually ticked him off, and he wanted to take over Gaara's body right then and there, just so he could dispose of the cause of Gaara's strange thoughts.

_**This is entertaining…Gaara, you've been weakened. Why not spare your brain a little pain, and give it pleasure by disposing of her? Surely you don't like having these thoughts…**_

It hissed with a hint of amusement in its voice.

Gaara was tired of the Shukaku's pestering to kill Hinata. He wouldn't, and that was that. But he also knew the shukaku was starved of blood. It hadn't had any in awhile, and it was being surprisingly calm about the situation, considering it was like a human not eating for a week, it was equivalent to the shukaku not obtaining any blood.

_I'll give to you anyone else's blood but hers…_

Gaara said.

_**But I told you that I wouldn't rest until you gave her to me! Do you not remember that?**_

The shukaku said.

_**One day, when you least expect it, I will get her. You can hate me all you want little one, but I'm not leaving, and she'll be gone forever. There will be others, and those others I can kill. One girl, how pathetic. Why not take them all, and dispose of them as you go along?**_

The shukaku asked.

Gaara was slightly disgusted by his words.

_There WILL only be one. And that will be her. You can't have her. _

Gaara retorted.

The shukaku withdrew. He was tired of arguing uselessly with Gaara. He would see soon enough.

" " "" " " " " " " "

Kiba lay in his bed, wondering where he was. He could feel extra weight on his legs, and arms. "What is this?" he asked. He lifted his head ever so slightly, seeing about half his body bound in casts. "WHAT!?" he yelled. Naruto jumped up. "Oh, Konnichiwa Kiba! You're awake!" he said.

Kiba looked around. Everyone that was in the waiting room before was around him, but where was Hinata?

"Hinata…Where…where is she?" Kiba asked. He was afraid of the answer he might receive.

"…" No one spoke.

"Well!?" Kiba asked. He couldn't help it. A stressful situation is what Hinata had put him in. It was all that Sabaku no Gaara's fault! Why'd he have to come and spoil it all? He could have had Hinata forever!

"Kiba-kun…Hinata left to Sunagakure…" Ino said quietly. No one spoke as they waited for Kiba's reply.

"And she didn't say anything to me?" Kiba asked.

"No Kiba-kun." said Ino.

"You mean to tell me that my Hinata…-" he stopped after he said MY hinata.

"Don't worry. We understand." said Shikamaru with a slight grin.

A few giggles were heard. "You know Kiba, you should have told Hinata that a long time ago. This may not have turned out like this if you did." said Sakura. "Or is your pride to important for that sort of thing?" she asked again.

"It's…it's not that, I…" Kiba said unable to put it into words.

"Just relax. Your gonna have to use a wheelchair until your arms heal enough for you to use crutches." said Chouji.

"WHEELCHAIR!!? But I, I have to…" Kiba growled.

"That Gaara!! He's done this to me! He's…" Kiba stopped suddenly. "He's won…"

Naruto looked at Kiba, slightly shocked by his words. "You're kidding me Kiba!" he said.

Kiba shook his head. "It's impossible to win now. If I can't fight for Hinata…how will I get her back?" he said.

"Who says you need brute force for everything? Sheer willpower and sweet words work too you know? Maybe that's one mistake you made, Kiba. You rushed into physical fighting instead of talking to Hinata with the proper approach." said Ino.

"Leave it to Ino and Sakura to suggest something like that." Kiba said.

"Hey! I didn't say anything!" Sakura said.

"You could have." said Kiba, as he laid his head back on his pillow.

"Why you!! That's why you're lying there now!!" said Sakura.

Shikamaru sighed. "What a drag…"

" " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "

Temari took Hinata out, and Hinata got depressed just looking at the place. "All of Sunagakure looks like this?" Hinata asked

"On the contrary. There are some nice places around here. This area looks like this because it's more…I don't know how to put it, but it's definitely not what people come here for unless they're on buissness." said Temari.

"Oh." said Hinata.

"Come on. You liked the flowers in your room, right? There are a lot more of those around here, on the outskirts of Sunagakure. And I'll take you to the clothes store I like too." she said.

Hinata smiled happily and nodded. "…Temari…" Hinata asked.

"Yes?" Temari responded.

"…Do you think…is Gaara…"

Temari hushed her. "I already know where this is going." Temari said. "Gaara of course is my brother, youngest. He was unfortunate, and my father orderd Chiyo to place the Shukaku inside of him, hoping that he could be of help to the village. When that seemed to have failed, however, my father decided to kill him by sending countless assassins after Gaara. He defeated them all. He started to get cold, and didn't care about anyone but himself. After the Chuunin exams, Gaara changed slightly, but not to the extent to where he was completely normal. As a matter of fact, the only thing I see different about him is a little more self control." Temari said. "But you're slightly changing that. He seems a bit more open thanks to you. This is going to sound kinda weird, but thanks for running away Hinata." said Temari with a slight laugh.

Hinata nodded. "But…He's never…"

"Acted like this with another girl? No. As a matter of fact, I could have sworn Gaara didn't know the diffrence between a girl and a boy. Now I think he understands though. Maybe." she said.

Hinata nodded. "So…about the flowers…" Hinata said trying to change the subject.

"Yes! The ones that are in your room are wild flowers of the desert. You know what? Maybe you could take up my hobby with me." Temari said.

"What's that?" Hinata asked.

"Bouquet making. I like making them because they seem to sooth me. Being a shinobi and killing all the time isn't something that brings joy as you should know. This kind of blocks out all those death threats from Gaara, Kankuro's stupid blabbering, and my ninja work." said Temari.

Hinata smiled a little. The fight with Tenten during the Chuunin exams made Hinata think that's all she liked doing, but Temari seemed almost gentle in a way. It gave hinata a different view on her.

"Thank you Temari." Hinata said.

"Huh?" temari asked.

"Thank you, for actually making me feel accepted. "sHe said. Temari talking to her made her feel happier. No other girl had ever started a conversation with her to make her feel like she had friends. Sakura, Ino, and even Tenten usually kept to themselves. They never really included Hinata in anything.

"Um, your welcome." said Temari with an awkward smile.

" " " " " " " " " " " " " " "

Gaara reached Konoha late that night. He looked around at the city.

_So oblivious to the fact that Hinata's gone. It just feels the same here no matter what happens…_

He thought. "What a naïve village. " he said.

The street lamps were on and the wind blew steadily through the village. He walked quietly making his way towards Hiashi's house, but was stopped when a certain blond ran up to him.

"GAARA!!" Naruto yelled with rageful blue eyes.

Gaara stopped. "Why bother with him…?" he asked himself. Naruto was nothing more than a clown to him. Why didn't he understand when someone didn't like him? Or maybe he did. He had learned about Naruto during their fight, and realized that Naruto was just the type to think positively about everything he could help. It was just weird to Gaara, as he had a monster in him too, equally sinister to the Shukaku, but he was so…calm, in his own way.

Naruto stopped in front of Gaara, panting slightly. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO KIBA!? And why are you still here anyway!?" naruto yelled.

"…I'm fully aware of what I've done to Inuzuka. I warned him, and so that makes it his fault he is in that condition." Gaara said, icy eyes on naruto.

"Yeah, but he's a mess! You'd better tell Hinata to come back!" he said.

"Hinata…isn't coming back." Gaara said, slightly unsure.

_I won't let her…she belongs to me now…_

He said.

"Eh? Why not? She doesn't care that Kiba's lying in a hospital bed, probably not going to get up for at least a month!?" Naruto asked.

"It's not Hinata who has decided this…It's me. She isn't coming back." Gaara said.

Naruto gave Gaara a strange look. What did he mean she wasn't coming back and it was up to him?

"Now move. I'd like to leave here soon." Gaara said as he brushed past naruto.

Naruto stood still, still in shock of what Gaara had said, and trying to figure it out.

_Naruto…you'll never learn._

Gaara thought. He finally arrived at Hiashi's house. He walked in, until he spotted Hiashi sitting in his usual spot, waiting for Gaara. "I knew you'd come." said Hiashi.

"How much did you want again?" Gaara asked. He didn't care how much he had to pay, as money was a lesser factor in his life. He just wanted to get back to Sunagakure so he could see his Hinata.

"It's not money I want…I want your life. You are causing nothing but ruin to this place. Although Hinata was banished, you've tainted someone who holds Hyuuga blood. I can't allow that." said Hiashi standing up.

Gaara smiled. "This should be simple." he said. There wasn't anyone around to stop him this time. Naruto was gone, everyone else had to be at the hospital or at home at this late hour, and Hiashi was alone. No one was at the uppermost level of the Hyuuga mansion but himself, and Hinata was miles and miles away from Konohagakure.

"Come back to the grounds you so mercilessly destroyed." Hinashi said.

Gaara followed, and smiled evily, as the cork from his gourd was removed.

Gaara : It's about time I-

Gaarazlilmiss : Shut up Gaara. I just don't understand you. I bet even if you didn't have the shukaku inside of you, you'd still be weird.

Hinata : …Um…Gaarazlilmiss… l-look…

Gaarazlilmiss : (looks to where hinata is pointing. Sand is behind her) AHHHHH! Alright fine! I hope you all enjoyed chapter eleven, please continue to review and read. We're nearing the end, well, in about 7 or eight more chapters…Well, anyway, c ya!


	12. Konoha massacre

Ai (love)?

Gaarazlilmiss

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in Naruto, only this story and everything said in it.

WARNING!! This is going to be a very dark chapter. When I say dark, I mean in a morbid way. Sad and gloomy, and full of death, yes. I don't think Hinata was expecting this…

Gaara : Finally. I was wondering when you'd let me have a chance to get all this stress out…

Hinata : I don't like the sound of this….

Gaarazlilmiss : without further delay, chapter 12. Which happens to be Gaara's favirote chapter…((mumbles)) Freak.

Gaara : I heard that.

Chapter 12 : Konoha Massacre

Gaara's eyes took on a wild look. There was absolutely nothing that would stop him now! Everyone's lives were at stake, but first…

"Sabaku Kyuu!" he yelled.

Hiashi expected this and moved easily to the side, rushing for him and using his style of gentle fist. The sand broke in places where Hiashi had managed to get through.

Gaara's eyes narrowed and his lips took on a deadly smirk. Suddenly, a sand clone appeared, same expression on it's face as Gaara. "Heh…" Gaara said. Hiashi's fingers were slowly being drawn into the sand until his arms finally were way to deep to salvage. Hiashi didn't struggle, instead he let his arms be drawn in, glaring at Gaara the entire time.

Gaara laughed eerily.

_**YES!!! Finally!! Kill him now! We must feel…-**_

"Alive! Yes, I understand what it means again! I don't need love!!" he yelled, his eyes bloodshot and his smirk never fading. The shukaku was possessing him once again, making him forget all about Hinata, and anything else he'd learned previously. It was only Hiashi's death he was focused on at the moment.

Hiashi gritted his teeth in frustration. He had hoped that allowing his arms to be sucked in by the sand would allow him to push a large amount of chakra through it so that it would go directly into Gaara's vital spot: his heart. Unfortunatly, the sand absorbed each bit of chakra Hiashi let loose. "You are a demon!" Hiashi yelled. He used his legs trying to kick Gaara off balance, but Gaara only allowed his sand to encase Hiashi's legs as well.

"You will be devoured by the sand!" Gaara yelled.

" " " " " " " " " " " " "

A guard of the Hyuuga mansion slumped up lazily against a door frame in the back of the hyuuga mansion reading a magazine. No one ever attacked the Hyuuga mansion, why should he be worried about anything? Today, he could enjoy a nice magazine.

A fellow guard walked up to him. "Keep an eye out for anything! Put that magazine up, you never kn-"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"

" " " " " " " " " " " " "

Gaara laughed evilly as he watched the head hyuuga's body fall limp to the ground, and his blood sift it's way to the gourd

Gaara looked down at the hyuuga body once more. He felt so relieved! Or was it the shukaku who felt relieved?

Gaara grabbed his head. That pain that he always felt…it was returning. He never felt this way when Hinata had relieved him, but with ai. Now, he couldn't stop it. He couldn't control it. The shukaku was forcing it's way out of him.

_**GAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! Yes!! One down, thousands more to go! This village isn't important! That girl you like doesn't even stay here! So destroy it!!**_

The shukaku screamed, making the headache worse and worse.

Gaara screamed, and then it was gone, but in it's place, Gaara felt more compelled to do what the Shukaku had asked of him. Sprinting off, he went to ravage the village hidden in the leaves.

" " " " " " " " " " " " " "

Hinata and Temari walked back to the Kazekage's tower, unaware of what was befalling the village of Konohagakure. To them, the day was peaceful. Gaara had gone off to pay a debt, and Hinata and Temari where in Temari's room making their bouquets. "Isn't it nice outside when the moon comes out?" Hinata pointed out looking at the enormous moon in the sky.

Temari nodded. "Hmm." she said. "It's always like that. Taking up the sky with all it's beauty. I loved looking at it, but my life started getting too busy to actually pay attention to it." said Temari. She smiled at Hinata. "So…what's Gaara said to you so far? I want to know how sappy my little brother is underneath all that cold heartedness and all." she said propping herself up on her elbows.

Hinata blushed. "Well…he's…" she said. "I don't really…" she said quietly.

"Is it hard to explain?" asked Temari.

"Well…yes." Hinata said in her quiet voice.

"Ah…so Gaara's mysterious even when he loves someone…he won't ever change. You know, I don't know much about my brother other than he use to like to kill people, and he doesn't sleep, and he eats like someone's dumped poison all over his food. All of those things are understandable to an extent, but I don't know anything truly positive about him." said Temari. If only she knew what was actually happening now.

"Yes. Well…he's sweet in his own way, I suppose." said Hinata.

"That's nice you think so." said Temari, placing the last flower in it's bouquet. "So then, do you want to go and eat something? I'm sure they've already gotten dinner all lain out. " Temari asked.

Hinata smiled. "That…would be nice Temari-chan." said Hinata.

Kankuro popped his head in the door. "Hey Temari, Hinata-chan!" he said.

The two looked at him questioningly.

"Something's up and we've got to go. We just recived a distress call about Gaara." said Kankuro.

"D-distress call?" Hinata asked.

"Yeah. Baki will explain it more in detail when we get to the office." said Kankuro.

Hinata's heart sank. "Oh no…I hope it's…it's not about Kiba…" she said.

"Huh? Kiba? Why would any of this pertain to that dog boy?" Temari asked.

"Because…" Hinata said tears forming in her eyes. She was afraid, very afraid. "Because Gaara injured Kiba very badly during a fight!" Hinata yelled and broke into tears. She didn't know what she was thinking! Kiba needed her, she had to go back. "I'm sorry Temrai-chan! I can't stay here!" she said and fled off without warning.

"Hinata chan!! What do you mean!? Come back!" Temari called after her.

" " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "

Kiba heard a loud comotion outside of his hospital window. He sat up as best he could to look out. The sounds appeared to be far away, and nothing was going on nearby. Suddenly, there was a large crash. Kiba's door had been busted down, and some medical ninjas had rushed in to take him out. "What's going on!?" asked Kiba. He noticed all the other patients that were staying in the hospital out as well.

_An evacuation? Why? What's going on?_

He thought.

Kiba grabbed the wrist of a nurse running by. "What's going on?" he asked.

"O-oh..nothing t-too bad…" she stuttered. It was a really bad lie.

"Answer me right!" he yelled. "I'm a ninja, and I can handle the news!" he said.

The nurse looked at him, and then sighed. "S-sabaku no Gaara…he's attacking Konoha, and he's in t-that monstrous f-form again." she said.

Kiba growled. "GAARA!!!!" he yelled. Never in his life did he think he'd have so much hate for this guy. What was his deal? The mission a year ago to destroy Konoha had failed, and so what was he thinking now? Was all of this with Hinata another diversion so he could attack? Kiba desperately wanted to move, but he couldn't. His arms and legs proved worthless. "Great…" he said helplessly. What could he do?

" " " " " " " " " " " " " " "

Ninja had arrived much to late to save some people. Fighting Gaara seemed to be worthless, for he killed almost every ninja that came in contact with him. The shukaku laughed mercilessly, his fun had begun and Gaara was finally listening to him now that that wretched girl was no where to stop him. She is what held gaara back. The shukaku made it a priority now to rid of her once he saw her so that this "fun" would continue, and gaara would have no more excuses.

Gaara smirked as he looked down upon a boy, his eyes filled with fear. Gaara was no longer Gaara. He was more or less the shukaku. The shukaku's arms had been revealed along with it's tail. Gaara's face had started to slowly warp as well.

Gaara took the massive shukaku arm, and swatted the boy. He was no more after that, and landed in a mangled heap, the force had crushed a lot of his bones. Gaara didn't rest there.

The entire hyuuga mansion had been destroyed, and all that remained of it were pieces and parts that Gaara had left. Walls bloodstained, and limbs of bodies strewn everywhere. It was a massacre, a terrible sight. Only inhabitants that survived were Neji and Hanabi, both had escaped with sheer luck. Neji realized that he hadn't the strength to defeat Gaara in that state alone, and had joined up with Naruto and the others, leaving Hanabi somewhere safer.

Naruto and the others had long since realized what was happening and were headed out to face Gaara. "He's not taking Konoha down! Not as long as I'm still here!!" Naruto yelled.

Gaara turned around when he spotted about seven ninja standing in front of him.

Naruto, Shikamaru, Ino, chouji, sakura, shino and Neji stood their ground.

"Gaara! What's up with you!? I thought you'd changed, for the better!" Naruto said, his cerulean eyes filled with intense rage.

"You wish to die today as well Naruto Uzumaki!? So be it!" Gaara said as he launched an attack.

" " " " " " " " " " " " " "

Hinata ran swiftly through the desert. It was a good thing it was nighttime and the air in the desert was cooler. She had to get to Konoha quickly, but she knew that even if she hurried, it would take her a couple of hours. She hadn't thought when she ran out. At the mention of distress, Gaara, konoha, and thinking about an injured Kiba, Hinata ran off, assuming the least. She had to stop him. She loved him, and that was what she had concluded, but she had to make sure that the lives of others she cared about were sparred. Why hadn't she said she wanted to stay when gaara asked? Was she afraid of making him angry?

_Kiba-kun! Konoha! I'm coming!_

She thought.

" " " " " " " " " " " " " " "

Temari and Kankuro didn't know what to do about hinata at the moment. If she had fled, they could catch up with her easily.

Baki looked at the two. "Alright. Gaara's gone berserk again and is trashing Konoha! We can't afford to let Konoha think that we're attacking again, he'll cause another war if we don't stop him!" said Baki. " Apparenlty, he's already killed the entire Hyuuga clan with the exception of a few. We haven't received any more word from Konoha since." said Baki. "You two have to go and stop Gaara. He's already caused a big problem." said Baki sternly.

"When you say the entire hyuuga clan, do you mean…the head of the Hyuuga clan was destroyed as well?" Temari asked, hoping the answer was no.

"…Yes. The only two that escaped was one of Hyuuga Hiashi's daughters and Hyuuga Neji. Those are it." said Baki."Go now!" said Baki.

"Hai!" both siblings said, and jumped off.

Baki sighed. "That baka gaara…he's really done it now…" said Baki.

" " " " " " " " " " " " "

Temari and Kankuro caught up with Hinata after a bit of running.

"Hinata! We have a mission…" said Temari. "We'll go with you, since you're trying to get there too." said Temari.

Hinata nodded firmly.

"But…what we have to say isn't going to be good." said Temari.

Hinata looked at Temari as they ran. What had happened?

Gaara : Well…this is slightly dark and gloomy, but not too bad

Hinata : NOT TOO BAD!? YOU JUST DESTROYED THE ENTIRE HYUUGA CLAN!!

Gaara : …so…

Hinata : so…!? ((pointless arguing resumes))

Gaarazlilmiss : Anyway, this chapter is finished. So what happens to Naruto and the rest? Will they suffer the same fate as the hyuuga clan? Will hinata get to konoha in time? Will Gaara snap out of his killing frenzy? We'll see in chapter 13!


	13. broken

Ai (love)?

Gaarazlilmiss

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in Naruto, only this story and everything said in it.

Gaarazlilmiss : well, sorry to say, but my keyboard is experiencing some difficulties! Because of that, I can't type so fast anymore, which will hinder me from posting as frequently…((cries)) now I'm using the stupid onscreen keyboard, and I hate it, but until I find out what's wrong, or I get a new one, yeah…I think you all get the point. Um…but still as promised ,chapter 13.

Gaara : ((shrugs))

Hinata : But I need to stop him quick!

Gaarazlilmiss : Life isn't all peaches. You two should know…

Chapter 13 : broken

Gaara swiped at Naruto only to hit air. His irritation started to rise.

"Gaara! Calm down!" Naruto yelled.

"Byakugan!" Neji said. The veins around his eyes rose, sending chakra to them. He could now see the fast paced chakra flow in gaara. This was certainly not all gaara's doing. Whatever it was, it was raging with an immense power that was now almost at its full potential. " Be wary…He's getting stronger by the second…It's just like before…" Neji informed.

Naruto knew better than anyone how bad the situation was getting. That year ago, Gaara had caused great damage and would be deaths if Naruto hadn't have stopped him. Because of that, Naruto thought he might have changed, but apparently, this wasn't so. In a way, it pained Naruto to see someone he had started to consider a friend revert back to his old self so easily.

Neji ran for Gaara, trying to hit his chakra points, but the thick layers of sand hindered him from getting to them.

The half shakaku, half Gaara monstrosity smirked. " Is this all I get from the know it all Hyuuga!?" he asked with a triumphant grin. "This'll be easier than I thought if that's the case!!" he said as he prepared to knock Neji out of the way.

Gaara's force on Neji was unmerciful. The damage Neji had taken was so bad he couldn't move much afterwards.

Naruto shuddered slightly. "What are we gonna do?" he asked, eyeing the deranged Gaara.

" " " " " " " " " " " " " "

Temari and Kankuro's faces deplicted nothing but worry as they prepared to explain the situation to Hinata. "Gaara has destroyed the Hyuuga clan…" Temari said, in a quiet voice.

Hinata's eyes widened. "N-no…you mean…" she said. Although her father had banished her, that was really all she knew, and to have the entire Hyuuga clan destroyed by one person…it was devastating. A few tears sat in Hinata's milky eyes. "B-but Gaara…he said…he wouldn't do such a thing I know…" Hinata's mind was jumbled.

_I thought I'd somewhat changed him…why Gaara!?_

Hinata thought.

She felt a tight pain in her chest. "W-we must stop him before he furtherly damages Konoha." she said. Although she was trying to uphold her bold façade, it wasn't working. She felt broken in two. She wanted to save konoha, but also her Gaara. It hurt. Only about a quarter of the way there, Hinata thought she'd be lucky to see even the ruins of Konoha.

_We must get there faster…_

Hinata thought. Then something hit her. "Temari-Chan…" began Hinata.

"Hm? Yes?" Temari asked.

"Your fan…can't it get a person from one place to another faster by calling upon the wind?" Hinata asked.

"Yes, but it will only take you so far…" Temari said. "And in the desert, that could be dangerous. The wind not only transports you, but it can also cause storms, you caught in the middle." Temari said.

Hinata took on a determined look. "Then it could work if we make it a little farther…" hinata said.

"Whoa now, the storm's no all that's involved." said Temari.

"Yeah. You've also got to know how to control the fan. " said Kankuro.

"And it requires a lot of chakra. It would exhaust someone to even go ten miles." Temari added.

"We must try." said Hinata.

Temari and Kankuro looked at each other wishing that they didn't say that the fan could work. They saw the look in Hinata's eyes and knew she wasn't backing down. What would they do?

" " " " " " " " " " " " "

Kiba watched in horror as the village he knew so well crumbled underneath a monstrous wrath. He could see fire, and jounin jumping off everywhere, knowing they would fail to return.

"I can't do anything…" he said quietly. He wished he hadn't had rushed in so suddenly to challenge Hiashi, but he was so mad…he concluded that that wasn't his fault : EVERYTHING was Gaara's fault. He had Hinata twisted around his finger. She never even came to see him. That was what hurt the most.

"The evacuation is complete. We can now start transporting all the patients through the first escape route." said one nurse to some head medic ninja.

"Great." he said.

Various hand symbols were made by many of the medic ninja's.

Kiba saw a bright light, then nothing.

" " " " " " " " " " " " " "

Gaara's mouth dripped with saliva in his deranged state as he looked at the remainder of ninja as if he were a lion trying to single out the weakest zebra in the bunch to attack. It was frightening, and even Naruto didn't know what to do.

"Kage Bushin no Jutsu!!" yelled Naruto in a futile attempt to subdue Gaara for a little bit. He was confused though.

_Hinata is nowhere to be found! Did they actually let Gaara come by himself? Do they even know all the trouble he's caused?_

Naruto thought. He was almost a hundred percent sure that was why no one thought about it. Konohagakure had probably long since sent out a message to the sand village about their monster.

Many Naruto's stood in front of Gaara, all glaring at him with the same glare as the real Naruto. "Gaara! I'm not letting you destroy Konoha! Over my dead body!" he yelled. Naruto and his many clones rushed towards Gaara, yelling. "Na-ru-to!!" he began as he kicked Gaara up in the air with the help of his other clones. "Uzumaki rend-Argh!" Naruto was stopped as Gaara had turned on him, grabbed on to the real Naruto's leg, and thrust him to the ground.

Naruto hit the ground with a loud crash, breaking up the earth underneath him. He slowly began to stand.

Ino looked at Naruto, and then nodded to Shikamaru. "Alright!" said Ino.

Shikamaru stood back a good ways and activated his shadow possession jutsu.

Gaara seemed to have fallen under the jutsu because every movement Shikamaru made, Gaara made as well. The look in Gaara's eyes were his own, however, with the Shukaku's eye and his eye, you could see the demon clearly in each. "You intend to take over my body? I don't think that's something you'd want to do…" he warned with a deep rumbling chuckle. Ino glared at him. "Oh really? We'll see about that." she said. She figured Gaara was bluffing.

Ino refused to listen, and switched bodies with Gaara anyway, only to jump right back out.

"Ah!" she said looking at Gaara in horror.

Shikamaru looked at Ino, a bit shocked she jumped out so fast. "What happened?" he asked.

"His body…it's so…so dark. That demon thing inside him…it just kept laughing at me, and I couldn't think, and I couldn't see anything but red. I felt heavy, and it was…just terrible! How can anyone live that way?" she asked shocked about Gaara.

_I actually pity him. _

She thought. The fact that a human being had to live with so much torment…it was sad.

Gaara laughed at her explanation. "I warned you. Would you like to help me calm the demon?" he asked, a grin of pure sadiction on his face.

Ino kept scooting backwards.

"I'll take your life, and offer it your blood! That will reduce this feeling, and make me feel alive again!" he said as he rushed towards Ino, with nothing but murderous intent. Naruto stood in front of Ino, his arms spread out in a defensive manner.

Gaara stopped suddenly. "Move Naruto, or do you really want to take more damage?" Gaara asked.

"Not this time Gaara…I'm not letting you live to see another day! I thought the last time would change you…but I was wrong." he said.

Gaara's eyes widened. "Change me? Nothing's changed!" he said.

The shukaku laughed happily inside Gaara. His control was working. The truth was things HAD changed, but with the demon exerting so much force on Gaara at once, it was almost impossible for Gaara to resist. Gaara was no longer himself, and no one could understand that but Naruto. He hoped what he was saying would wake the other Gaara up.

Naruto sneered. He was about tired of this.

" " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "

Temari, Kankuro, and Hinata reached the middle of the desert. The moon was high in the sky, and the air around them grew stale and cold, or at least it seemed that way to Hinata. She was working herself overtime, and doing about the same to Temari and Kankuro.

"Hinata…could we rest? Your making us move faster than Gaara use to." said Temari. She didn't want Hinata to be angry with her, but rest was something you definitely needed when you were traveling across the desert.

"We also haven't eaten since we left!" said Kankuro.

Hinata looked at them, and both siblings noticed the heavy bags forming under her eyes from lack of rest. She also looked like she was breaking into a sweat, even though the air was cooler, much cooler, than when it was midday.

"Hinata? Are you okay?" asked Temari, her eyebrows squinting up to the middle of her forehead in worry. This wasn't normal.

"I'm fine! We have to hurry! Please Temari! Let's use the fan! I…I don't mean to overwork you, but this is your brother, and that's my village, and Gaara is…he is…we can't let this happen!" she said. "It just doesn't seem right!" she finished.

"But you need to rest! Look at you! You're getting overworked! It was probably the desert heat or something, but you might be getting sick." said Temari.

"That doesn't matter." said Hinata. For once, she sounded commanding and bold, never had she spoken so boldly. "They need us." said Hinata.

Temari frowned. It was no use in arguing. Hinata was right, but she was risking a lot. Temari couldn't argue. She desperately wanted to get to Gaara, and she didn't want the sand village to have to deal with Konoha blaming the entire village for Gaara's recklessness. It wasn't something easily dealt with. "Fine." Temari finally said. "But first, I need to borrow Chakra." she said. Hinata was happy to lend it to her. "Put your hand on my back." said Temari.

Kankuro watched curiously.

"What are you doing you idiot!? Get over here unless you want to be left." said Temari to Kankuro.

Kankuro snapped out of his curious state, and ambled over to the two. Temari placed her fan at a strange angle as she bit her finger, drawing out blood, and smearing it in a weird pattern on her fan. She braced herself and moved her fan up above her head, bringing it down with such a heavy force, the sand around them blasted away, clearing the spot Temari and the other's were standing in, and pushing the other sand in small piles around them. "Remove your hand." Temari said as she began to move her fan in a circular pattern bringing heavy winds around them.

Hinata and Kankuro looked around them, awe splattered all over their faces. Of course Kankuro had seen Temari do this before, but he couldn't help but be surprised about the size of the cyclone around them. Temari had never made one so big, because they never had to travel so far.

Temari focused chakra into her fan, trying to collect as much as she could before the cyclone dispersed, and finally let it go, making the cyclone of wind move so fast, Hinata hadn't realized they had moved.

When Hinata looked around, she saw that they were almost to the edge of some woods…the woods that led to Konoha! It would be easy moving from here, and they could get to Konoha in less than thirty minutes. She looked at Temari, and saw her collapse to the ground, breathing very abnormally. Kankuro walked over to his sister, making sure she was okay. "I've…I've lost…a lot…of…chakra…" said Temari.

Hinata looked at Temari's face. Sweat beaded on her forehead and on her neck, and stray hair plastered to her face.

Kankuro picked her up. "…" he was speechless.

Temari hit him slightly. "This was nothing." she said trying to keep her pride up.

Kankuro smirked at her. "Sure…you say that, but looks definitely don't lie." he said. Hinata jumped off, jumping from tree to tree and desperately trying to gain speed.

"Whoa! Slow down, Hinata! I'm carrying her, how fast do you think I can go?" he asked.

Temari glared at him quickly before closing her eyes.

_You owe me Hinata…_

She thought with a small smile.

_Save Gaara...and your precious little Konoha..._

She thought before completely passing out.

Hinata slowed a bit, but not much. She was too anxious to see what had happened, and what she could do to fix this problem to slow down.

_Gaara…Konoha…I'm coming._

" " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "

The village looked slightly barren, and soon, Kakashi and Kurenai had made it to the source of the panic. "Gaara…" said Kakashi. He couldn't believe this kid was back to ruin the village once more. What had Konoha done to him?

"Kakashi-sensei!" said Sakura happily as she smiled at him.

Kakashi merely nodded his head and looked at Kurenai. "Seems like I've missed a lot while I was out on my mission." he said looking at Gaara's bloodthirsty face.

Kurenai smiled slightly. "Took you long enough." she said.

"Took you BOTH long enough!" said Naruto.

"Gaara…Today you will die." said Kakashi as he rushed towards him using simple Taijutsu at first. He knew this wouldn't finish Gaara off, not by a long shot, but he didn't quite remember what it was that broke this monster. He wasn't there after all, but judging from the matches he had seen Gaara participate in, he noted that he wasn't an easy opponent, and for a genin…

Kurenai looked over everyone, making sure they were all okay. "I don't know if my Genjutsu will do any good in this situation." said Kurenai.

Ino shook her head. "That demon in him…it makes every attempt seem impossible." she said. Kurenai looked curiously at her.

"She tried to get into Gaara's body, but it was too much because of the demon." shikamaru explained to Kurenai.

"…hmm…" said Kurenai. Pulling a couple of shurikens, Kurenai prepared herself to help Kakashi. Not even he could take on this creature alone. Naruto wanted to help desperately, but he knew if he hadn't subdued him by now, there wasn't much else he could do, and when he tried to help again, Sakura waved a finger in his face, and began to heal him.

"Your crazy if you're gonna try and fight that monster again." she said.

Naruto shook his head. "Gaara isn't a monster…he's possessed by a monster. That's what everyone gets confused about. He isn't the actual monster, and neither am I. That's why I try so hard to understand him. He's really just like me, only he's taking life in a different way. He isn't even conscious right now. As a matter of fact, the real Gaara is probably fighting to get back out of that state. I wonder what ushered him to transform again…" Naruto wondered. Why did he go off and kill the entire Hyuuga clan. "Did Hinata make him mad?"

Sakura frowned. " I don't know…" she said

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a tidal wave of sand engulfed all that were around.

"This is the end! I'm tired of toying around! Offer you-Argh!" Gaara said grabbing his head with his human arm.

_I….must….fight him….off…_

He thought.

_**WHO ARE YOU REFFERING TO!? You aren't hurting anyone but yourself! Continue with your pleasures!**_

The shukaku roared.

_These…are not my…pleasures…they are yours._

Gaara spoke mentally to the shukaku.

_And look what you've made me do…_

The shukaku roared in agony as he was so close to having all this death, all of their lives would be sacrificed for him, but he couldn't take it anymore. Gaara was forcing himself back out.

The sand that created the Shukaku-like appearance began to slowly fall away, leaving lifeless piles of sand all around a weakened Gaara. He fell to his knees, and looked around him finally. Everywhere, sand. What had he done? What would Hinata think? When did all this happen?

Kakashi's head popped out of some of the sand as he did chidori to get himself out. He panted slightly. The sand was heavy and he wondered if any of the others would be able to get out. He looked over at Gaara. "You will die for this." he said as he approached Gaara agonizingly slow.

"STOP KAKASHI-SENSEI!" yelled someone.

Kakashi turned his head to see Hinata running up to him, being trailed by a tired Kankuro and an unconscious Temari.

Naruto crawled out of the sand, the chakra had been taken from it because Gaara was too drained to keep it in the sand. The others soon did the same.

"Hinata…?" Kakashi asked in a slightly distant way. He eyed Gaara, tempted to end his life right there while he was weak, but his body wouldn't corroperate. He eyed Hinata curiously. "What makes her do this?" he asked himself.

"Gaara…" Hinata said as she ambled over to him.

Gaara couldn't even take up the courage to look at her. He dreaded this, and for once, wished she would leave, and stay out of his site, or rather, he stay out of hers.

" " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "

Gaarazlilmiss : This sounds like it's gonna be a couple spat!

Gaara : …

Hinata : …

Gaarazlilmiss : I think this chapter's left them speechless…I think it's the end. Oh well. Chapter 14 should be out soon, and I hope you all will continue to review my fanfic! Thanks for staying with me so far! Ja ne.


	14. Sayonara

Ai (love)?

Gaarazlilmiss

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in Naruto, only this story and everything said in it.

YAY!!! I got a new keyboard!! So now I can frequently update again (Well, between school and this, as frequent as it'll get, probably a chapter every two days or so) So anyway, here's chapter 14, I hope you'll enjoy it! Oh, wait, by the way, there are only two more chapters after this one, but there will be a sequel, and it'll be three years into the future.

Gaara : Great…Stupid Wal-mart!

Hinata : ((Laughs))

Gaarazlilmiss : Anyway, let's get rollin'!

Chapter 14 : Sayonara

Hinata looked at Gaara, his head held down, and his breathing heavy. It saddened Hinata to see him like this, along with her village. Many had died, her family had died. Hinata felt selfish for a moment. Now, she felt this might all be her fault. "Why…?" she said quietly.

Everyone looked at her. No one knew what to say. The situation in her case was much to complicated to bring forth any sympathetic words.

Naruto slowly stepped up to Hinata. "What will you do?" he asked. He was confused. Nothing made sense. What happened?

"He intended to kill me." said Gaara. "That was what I had to pay…my life." he said. "And I had finally found out what being alive met, only to have someone try to take it away again." said Gaara.

Hinata looked at him.

He stood slowly, and out of instinct now, everyone took on offensive stances. Gaara noticed this. It annoyed him, but what could he say? No matter what he found out, or what he thought he understood, no matter how much he changed, no one would understand him, and now, he felt even Hinata wouldn't. Did it even make sense to explain to her why he did it? The family that hurt her, that was all she had. She would morn them regardless, and fault him for it. He didn't want to see her. Jumping off, he left everyone where they stood.

Kankuro raised a hand to protest to his leaving, but couldn't do much more with Temari in his other arm. He laid her down on the ground. "She's out like a light. Her chakra has been depleted. " said Kankuro.

Shikamaru walked over, studying Temari. "I doubt the clinic is of any use at the moment. Probably still evacuating. She'll have to just sleep to recuperate. " said Shikamaru.

"Do you mind explaining what has just occurred?" Kakashi asked looking at both Hinata and Kankuro.

"I'm not sure myself. Our kazekage sent Gaara on a mission. Didn't seem like much from what he told us, and we come to find out from our sensei that he's killiing people again. I don't know…I really don't." said Kankuro.

_The way I said that sounded all wrong…they probably think our Kazekage's up to something again even though it's not Orochimaru this time._

Kankuro thought.

"We'll do some background checking." said Kakashi as he eyed Temari. "Sakura…you're a medic ninja now. Take care of her, and make sure there aren't any other injured people anywhere nearby." said Kakashi as he nodded to Kurenai. Both jumped off.

Hinata fell to her knees and sobbed. Why did he do it? What reason did he have to go off and kill the entire Hyuuga clan and other townspeople? It was incomplete, her information. The only way she'd find out is if she confronted Gaara himself.

Naruto walked over and patted Hinata on her back. He didn't know what to say, but comforting her was the least he could do. "Cheer up, okay? I know all of this, well, it'll turn out halfway decent…" he said.

_Doy! That came out all wrong!!!_

He thought.

"Way to help baka." said Sakura under her breath to Naruto. She started to help Temari replenish her chakra. "How did she end up like this?" Sakura asked.

"We were trying to get here quickly in order to help out. Temari had to use a jutsu that consumed a large amount of chakra to get us here. If she didn't do that, we wouldn't be here for at least another day or so." said Kankuro.

"Where is Kiba?" Hinata asked Naruto.

"…Um…well…I'm not sure right now. The hospital evacuated all its patients. You might see him tomorrow." said Naruto, trying to smile. He started to remember things…

((Flashback))

"_Naruto-kun…" Hinata said with a small smile. She had a small basket in her hands with something sweet smelling inside._

_Naruto was busy talking to Sakura, trying to get her to date him for once. As always, he'd been turned down again, and Sakura was trying to figure out a way to get Sasuke back. Finding it hopeless to get her attention, he bumped right into Hinata, who dropped the basket she was carrying and the chocolate cookies she had spilled all over the ground, breaking and a few being squashed because Naruto had fallen on them. _

_Hinata looked at Naruto, who stood up quickly, and was dusting the back of his pants off. "Sorry Hinata-chan…I didn't see you there." he said rubbing the back of his head._

_Hinata blushed. "O-oh…It's o-okay Naruto-kun…" Hinata said pushing her fingers together and smiling slightly. _

"_Hey Hinata…why do you always do that? It's not like you like me or anything right? So why do you always blush like that?" he asked. "Don't worry. I'll get you some more cookies." said Naruto. _

_**If I have money left over after I get ramen…**_

_He thought._

"_W-well…they were…I mean….I made them. T-they were for y-you." Hinata said._

_Naruto grinned. "Really? Gee thanks Hinata! But Sakura already made something sweet, and me and Lee were gonna go and get some of that! I mean, since the ones you made are all messed up now, we can't eat those can we?" Naruto said, a smile spread across his face._

_Hinata felt crushed in a way. "N-no Naruto-kun…it's alright…Ja ne." she said as she began to walk off. _

"_See ya Hinata!" Naruto called after her._

((End Flashback)) 

All the things Hinata had done to get his attention, to make him notice her, and he never even realized it. It was sad that he couldn't help her now. Sakura had finally informed him that she didn't like him, and Hinata all along had. Naruto didn't know what to think.

" " " " " " " " " " " "

Gaara looked at the moon in the sky. It was starting to fade away now that morning was coming again. He was deep in confusion. What would he do? Did he still want Hinata back? What if she didn't want to even glance his way anymore? She'd be well within her rights not to want to.

_It's all your fault…_

Gaara spoke to the Shukaku.

_**Hmm? Did you say something little one?**_

The shukaku asked, slightly amused.

_Why did you do this? Oh, that's right. You're only here to make my life miserable…_

He said.

_**Don't deny it. At least I won't ask for anything else for awhile. So you've finally given up on that girl? It's about time…Don't talk to her anymore…I'll take her away from you quick…**_

The shukaku said. He was apparently calmed and relaxed now, leaving Gaara to be himself completely, or as much as he could.

_They think I'm stupid…I know what is going on…the Kazekage now wants me dead too doesn't he? He probably begged Hyuuga Hiashi to kill me…I'm sure he had no objections. Baki was probably unaware of this…_

Said Gaara. Knowing the Kazekage, it was probably one of his twisted schemes and his alone. When he talked to him about the mission that day he parted ways with Hinata once she was in Sunagakure, he could see it on his face. Sly as a rat, he had yet another scheme.

"They're really trying it again." he said resting up against a tree. Tommorow, he'd leave to go back to Sunagakure. It would sure surprise the Kazekage to see him back, ALIVE. One would think the new Kazekage wouldn't be anything like his father, but apparently, the villagers still wanted him dead, and so he catered to their every want.

" " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "

"So it seems Hiashi Hyuuga failed and died in the process…and I thought Hyuuga's were suppose to be top notch." said the Kazekage with a sneer as he shredded the distress call and report. "We've still got him to deal with. He's probably realized by now that he's been targeted. What to do?"

Baki looked at the Kazekage, unable to believe what he was hearing. "You tried to kill Gaara?" he asked.

"Yes. Why not? The village is still terrified of him, the bond with Konoha is weak because of him, and a creature like that running loose isn't something safe, even with his siblings with him he's still a threat. They don't always restrain him properly." The kazekage said.

Baki shook his head. "Unbelievable." he said.

"Do you have a problem with this? If so, I suggest you don't voice your opinion before you are dealt with." the Kazekage said.

Baki didn't speak. No ties to Gaara, right? Then everything would be okay…but still, something told him he'd regret this, along with the Kazekage and all of Sunagakure.

" " " " " " " " " " " "

After everything was over and morning had come, Konoha's clean up began. A funeral was to be held for the Hyuuga clan in the evening, and even though Hinata was technically not a Hyuuga anymore, she was still required to attend, along with Neji and Hanabi, both of which didn't want her there.

Hinata was dressed in a short black Kimono, a headdress, and she had her mid-length hair rolled into a delicate bun. Her attire was simple, unlike Hanabi's, who had on much more than she needed.

She stepped out of the small apartment she had dressed in, which belonged to Sakura and walked the dead streets. It was a dreary day in Konoha. The usually inviting apperance was replaced by a ghost town, gloomy setting. It was scary. Before the funeral, she decided she would try to find Gaara if he was still somewhere around, and ask him about all of this. She knew he'd more than likely keep himself away from her. "Where did he go?" she asked. "Byakugan!" she said. Hopefully he was still somewhere around. She detected faint chakra everywhere, none of which could belong to Gaara. He definetly wasn't anywhere in Konoha, and if he was, he must be some kind of idiot. Hinata began to search around the outskirts of Konoha, and had no such luck. Just when she was about to leave…

"Are you looking for me?"

Hinata spun around to find Gaara sitting upon a tree branch, his face was stern and his eyes unemotional at the moment.

He noted her attire.

_Mourning, just like I expected._

He thought.

"Y-yes…" Hinata said quietly.

"Why?" he asked.

"Why else?" Hinata asked him as she looked up at him, expecting him to come down. When he didn't come down, she went up.

"I'd think you'd stay away from me considering what just happened." he said. "What about Inuzuka? Aren't you going to visit him?" asked Gaara.

"Yes…I am….but he too is going to attend the funeral, and I won't be able to talk to him until he is done with all the medical stuff and getting ready. I suppose I was just biding time." Hinata said.

Gaara nodded.

"I know…It was the shukaku, wasn't it?" Hinata asked.

Gaara nodded hesitantly. "Yes. But also," he began.

"Hai?" Hinata asked.

"Your father tried to kill me. I went to pay the "debt" and ended up finding out I'd have to pay with my life." said Gaara. "It irked the Shukaku. He decided to finally take over." said Gaara.

Hinata couldn't believe her ears. "My f-I mean, Hiashi-sama tried to kill you? But…why would he…?" Hinata asked distantly as she thought.

"He had nothing to lose by killing me." said Gaara. "He was asked to do this by the Kazekage. They all still want me dead. I knew what was happening once I stepped foot in that house." said Gaara.

Hinata nodded. "I'm sorry…I didn't know…" said Hinata. "I probably won't get to go back to Sunagakure…and…" Hinata said.

"I know. And I'm probably not going to be able to come back either." said Gaara.

Hinata eyed him worriedly. "I…" she said. Suddenly, some bells sounded. "I have to go…" said Hinata.

Just as Hinata was about to jump out of the tree, Gaara held on to her. "I won't get to see you for awhile." he said.

At first, Hinata actually struggled to get loose so she could go, but she stopped and allowed Gaara to hold her. Emotions welled up in her, confusion, sadness, shock, happiness…she didn't know how she felt. Both of them were twisted in a game that neither of them could win, and they knew this moment would be their last.

Gaara pulled her closer to him and she held on to him as well. A tear slid down her cheek. "I don't want-"

"It can't be helped." said Gaara.

She wanted to stay there forever, even after everything that happened, someone's hug, anyone's hug would sooth her, but only Gaara's embrace would calm her. It was strange…something neither of them could explain other than something that just…happened. Something that they both needed, but knew they couldn't have for long, without their lives meddling in it.

Hinata looked at him. "I must…" she said.

Gaara nodded. "Sayonara Hinata…" he said.

"Until we meet again." said Hinata as she felt his embrace leave her. She jumped down swiftly, and started to walk away, and when she looked back to see if he was still there, he'd vanished.

" " " " " " " " " " " " "

Gaarazlilmiss : PLEASE READ THIS!! The sequel to this story will be rated M. I know the swap in ratings is kinda evil (Even though I know everyone will look at it anyway…) But it's the way it's gotta be. Um, yeah…Chapter's 15 and 16 should be out soon, and the next story should be out by at least the end of this week earliest. Thanks for staying with me!

Gaara : I'm afraid of the sequel

Hinata : It might turn out much better than this one, who knows?

Gaarazlilmiss : You two are night and day.


	15. Lost

Ai (love)?

Gaarazlilmiss

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in Naruto, only this story and everything said in it.

Happy B day to…ME! Yes, yesterday was my birthday! Let's just say that was the best B day I've had in awhile! Sorry for not updating, I had temporary writer's block, but I couldn't leave you all hanging on the end! So here's chapter 15, hope you all enjoy

Oh! Gaara won't appear in this chapter whatsoever! The next one will be his.

Gaara : I get a break?

Hinata : Lilmiss-san, would you mind if I had a piece of your cake??

Gaarazlilmiss : Yes! I would! Nah, just kiddin'

Gaara : …cake? That's disgusting…

Gaarazlilmiss : Oh yeah, I forgot. You like liver. What a wei…never mind…((Glances over at Gaara preparing sand yet AGAIN))

Chapter 15 : Lost

As Hinata walked through the village, she noticed how people looked at her. It frightened her a little. She didn't want Konoha to hate her, but not everything was Gaara's fault either. Sadly, no one understood that, not even after he had made a promise to change for the better. It must have been really hard. The sad fact of the matter was, she was afraid of Konoha now. They might treat her much differently after the turn of events. She'd been banished from the Hyuuga clan, fled off with a supposive "monster", and come back only to distance herself further from the rookie nine. It wasn't what she had intended, but sweet partings always soothed you, she didn't want him to just leave and never return. She had to say goodbye.

Her skin still tingled from the sensation. If that didn't show their bond between each other, what did? She saw Naruto walking towards the Ichiraku ramen shop, and decided to talk to him. Yes, she, Hinata, was about to just openly walk up to Naruto, and talk to him. But somehow, it just seemed so normal now. She didn't feel all jittery and about to faint. He was just someone she admired, Naruto Uzumaki, and that was it. "Naruto-kun!" Hinata called out to him.

Naruto stopped and faced Hinata, surprised to see her running up to him, and she had actually called out to him, not sneaking around and finally approaching him only to whisper out everything. Yup, something had definitely changed about her. "Hinata-Chan!" Naruto said, an awkward smile forming on his face.

"Hello Naruto-Kun. " she said as she walked with him while he headed towards the ramen stand.

_I hope Naruto-Kun will still accept me. _

She thought. She found herself sweating a little.

"Um…I did have to ask you something Hinata…" Naruto said rubbing the back of his head nervously.

Hinata looked at him. "Hai, Naruto-kun?" she asked.

"Did you…Gaara, I mean, what did you do while you were with him?" Naruto asked.

Hinata blushed furiously. "Um, I uh…" she said.

"I'm just curious because…you've changed a lot, and everyone's noticed." said Naruto. "It's only been like a week, and you've went from a shy person to a more open person." said Naruto.

Hinata nodded. "Gaara made it so that I didn't feel so afraid to let my feelings show. Not to mention, voice my opinion without fear that it'll be unwise." said Hinata. She could see a little confusion in Naruto's eyes. "What I mean, Naruto-Kun, is that he kind of helped me understand that nothing will change unless I make it change. I have to start somewhere, ne?" she asked.

Naruto smiled slightly. "But you know, Kiba was kinda down about you not coming to see him and all. Bugged me and everyone else all day long about it one day!" said Naruto. "And I guess I'll tell you since he couldn't." said Naruto.

Hinata looked at Naruto, her curiosity growing.

"Kiba liked you Hinata."

" " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " ""

Kiba was being assisted in getting dressed for the funeral later today. All of Konoha would attend it, but only those who were of Hyuuga descent got to stand in the training area where Hiashi Hyuuga was killed, and where the funeral would directly take place. Everyone else would stand anywhere other than the area. He let a nurse lift his sore arm and slide a sleeve on him. He winced slightly, but he was growing use to the pain.

_I know I'm being slightly selfish, but I was hoping Hinata might visit me today. She's here from what I've heard…_

He thought. After the nurses had finished dressing him, bowed politely, and left, Kiba sighed as he sat in his new buddy, the wheelchair. The doctor said he'd have to stay in this for at least a year, and then he could walk on crutches. Kiba felt impatient. A year meant that he'd have to stay in the wheelchair until next august. Many missions would pass him by then, and he might not even get to be a ninja. Chuunin exams would be held in July, and he couldn't attend them if he was sitting in a wheelchair! It made him angry, but what could he do?

"Kiba." said a voice out in the hallway. It was a male's voice, so Kiba didn't get too excited.

"Who is it?" he asked as she tried to look like his normal self.

Kakashi stepped in the doorway.

"Huh? What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I have to ask you some questions." said Kakashi.

" " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "

Hinata stood paralyzed. Kiba liked her? 

"He did all of that for you Hinata." said Naruto. "He fought Gaara and Hiashi for you, he really did! You should have seen me trying to stop him! He just wouldn't though. In the hospital he nearly gave up hope on you. He said Gaara had won, and he lost. Then he just kinda laid there." said Naruto.

Hinata's eyes were glazed over with shock. "He…kiba-Kun…he…" said Hinata. "I can't believe." she said.

Naruto smiled a little. "Yeah. I'd say you need to go and see him. I don't know how much longer he'll stay in that mushy state." said Naruto.

Hinata smiled slightly. "Arigato, Naruto-Kun." said Hinata as she ran off.

Naruto sighed. "Oh well…hmm..I think it's time for some Miso ramen!"

" " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "

Kakashi looked at Kiba's state. He was definitely not on the good foot. "So how'd this all happen. Tell me everything." said Kakashi as he sat on the hospital bed side and examined Kiba in his wheelchair.

"Well…Hinata ran away one day, I guess because she was upset about her family, and traveled past the wind country. Then she hid herself in this little isolated village that no one really knew about. Tsunade-sama sent us on a mission to find her, and so Naruto, Sakura, Ino, Chouji, Shikamaru, Neji, and I were sent out to get her. On our way, Temari and Kankuro from the sand village can and told us that Gaara had been with Hinata, and he was acting a lot different…" said Kiba stopping there for a minute. "we…we kinda fought Gaara when we found them. We thought Hinata was hurt, but she was asleep." said Kiba. "A few of us got injured, only a little though, and Hinata finally decided to come back with us. She kept saying to me that Gaara wasn't bad, or something like that." said Kiba, trying to remember the small argument he and hinata had. "When we got to Konoha, Hinata was all unhappy, and she didn't do too much. We left her alone for a bit, and then when I went to see Naruto, he said she'd ran off after they'd tried to cheer her up. I followed her scent, and found her…" Kiba said trailing off.

"What?" Kakashi asked, still listening, and occasionally glancing at his ichi ichi book.

"Kissing Sabaku no Gaara." said Kiba finally.

Kakashi dropped his book, and quickly looked over at Kiba. "??What?" he asked.

"The reason Hinata has changed is because of him. She'd never do that. I know." said Kiba.

"And what did you do?" asked Kakashi.

Kiba looked down at his pants and didn't answer.

"…Okay. Well, I'm going to go back and talk to Tsunade about this." said Kakashi. "You get some kind of rest." said Kakashi as he stood up.

_After I read a little bit of this book, that is…_

Thought Kakashi.

"Alright." said Kiba.

When Kakashi started walking out the door, he literally ran into Hinata.

Hinata stood up quickly and bowed. "Gomen, Kakashi-sensei." said Hinata. Kakashi gazed at her. "Here to visit Kiba?" he asked.

"Yes. Is he done with everything?" Hinata asked.

"…Yes." said Kakashi, and then walked on.

"Hmm." Hinata said. She slowly entered Kiba's door to find him looking down at his pants.

"K-kiba-Kun." said Hinata.

Kiba quickly looked up to face Hinata's milky eyes. "Hinata." he said. He gestured towards the bed that was vacant.

Looking at Kiba's condition, she wanted to cry. She wanted to burst into tears at seeing Kiba had ended up like this on her behalf. "H-how are you feeling?" she asked.

"…A little better." he said.

Silence filled the air for a long time.

Hinata gulped slightly. "Um, I bought this for you. They say it makes everything better." said Hinata as she handed Kiba a small box with some rich looking chocolates inside.

Kiba sighed. "thank you…" he said.

"Kiba, Naruto told me that…well…that you…" Hinata said, unable to force the words out of her mouth. She glanced over at Kiba. He eyed her slightly sadly, and waited for her to answer. "Naruto-Kun told me that you…l-liked me…" she said.

Kiba sighed. "yeah." he said. "I didn't know how to tell it to you…" he said. "And when you were with Gaara, I didn't know if I could compete, so I went mad. Everything I saw provoked me." he said.

Hinata felt slightly guilty. " Kiba, I…-"

"Hinata, do you feel that way about Gaara?" Kiba asked.

"What?" she asked, baffled.

"Do you love Gaara, or do I have a chance?" he asked.

Hinata's mind did flips. "I…" she said. Gaara, she'd probably never see again. But she didn't feel that way about Kiba.

_He's more of a brother. And Gaara…_

"Gomen, Kiba-Kun!" said Hinata as she jumped up and ran out in tears.

_NANTE!?_

She screamed in her head. It was impossible to understand all of this. She couldn't show up at the funeral, which was in about 3 or 4 hours in tears.

_Dry it up Hinata! What would Gaara tell you to do?_

She asked herself. Finally, she stopped running and began to walk as if nothing had happened. Sure her eyes were red and puffy, but it would go away soon. Everything would work itself out.

_Every time I try to talk to Kiba, it ends like that…I don't want Kiba to hate me, I want him to be like he's always been to me…like my brother._

She said. That was the bond she wanted. But had he only acted like that because he loved her? Would it change now? Her heart ached in a way she couldn't describe.

_Kiba…Gaara…_

" " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "

Later on, the funeral began. Hinata stood in the middle of Neji and Hanabi in front of an alter dedicated to the Hyuuga clan, and incense and pictures dedicated to the townsfolk who died by Gaara's hands. Each member of the Hyuuga clan stood stern, eyes fixed on the alter, and small white flowers in their hands. Neji glanced over at Hinata.

_She should be in tears. That's just how Hinata is, so why isn't she?_

He thought. It made him slightly angry that she wasn't. It was his pleasure, her misery, and although everyone including himself were suffering from pain, it wasn't as…showy with Hinata as he would have thought it would be.

"We are here to honor those who died at the hands of the sand demon, Sabaku no Gaara, today. " said a jounin dressed in black, loud enough for everyone attending the funeral to hear. A small prose of dedicaton for the Hyuuga clan, and other proses for the others that had died were recited. Those who were family to the townspeople that died stood farther back in the training area, weeping, and saying those who had died's names.

As Hinata stood there, she felt dead. She felt like she wasn't of this world, merely witnessing a tragic ceremony and like she was floating from her body. She was deeply confused about everything, so bad, it didn't make her feel much. And even though she tried to feel sad about the Hyuuga clan's deaths, she couldn't. She felt guilty again.

When the service was over, Neji walked up to Hinata. "You. "he said. He didn't address her as Hinata-Sama anymore. Just you.

Hinata looked at him, a look so blank it scared Neji, and he didn't speak for awhile, he was so taken aback. "Do you even feel any sadness from this?" Neji asked.

"Why must every funeral be a sad ceremony?" Hinata asked. "Am I expected to cry, Neji-niisan?" she asked. "A funeral is simply the ceremony in which the one who dies passes on to the other world. I know, sadness is a part of this, but my life with this clan has been nothing but pain, and how can I feel sad, when I don't even have true ties anymore. You've forgotten I was banished." said Hinata. Some tears threatened to fall from her eyes, but because this occurred so often, she held them back, no problem.

Neji just looked at her.

_Is this really Hinata? Is it?_

He asked himself.

"I need to rest. Tomorrow, I get my own apartment." said Hinata. She walked off slowly.

Hanabi stood by Neji. "Then, where will I go?" She asked.

"You will be with Tsunade in the Hokage's building. I will also find an apartment." Neji said.

Hanabi hesitated, but walked off, to where, Neji wasn't sure.

_Hinata…_

He thought, and walked on to the Hokage's office.

" " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "

"Hokage-sama." said Kakashi from behind her office door.

"Come in Kakashi." said Tsunade. She was scribbling something down on paper, quickly. She looked up. "What did you manage to get out of Kiba?" she asked him.

Kakashi informed her of everything.

Tsunade sighed. "Just as I thought." she said.

"What did you think?" asked Kakashi.

"Hinata is now a part of this. They'll be looking for her." said Tsunade.

"What?" asked Kakashi. "Who?"

"The Kazekage still wants to kill Sabaku no Gaara." said Tsunade. "About two days ago…" said Tsunade.

((flashback))

"_Hokage." said Hiashi Hyuuga as he bowed respectively to Tsunade._

"_Oh Hiashi-sama. How are you?" asked Tsunade._

"_Wonderful." he said with a grim expression._

"_Oh really? Then why the look?" she asked._

"_My daughter, Hinata…is she honestly running around with that demon?" he asked._

"_Gaara…" said Tsunade. "It was said she was. I'm not entirely sure myself however. She didn't answer my questions straightly." said Tsunade._

"_Really?" Hiashi said. "Inform me when this Gaara returns. I have business with him." Hiashi said. _

"_May I ask what?" Tsunade asked suspiciously._

"_The Kazekage has asked something of me. " Hiashi said simply and began to leave. _

_Tsunade didn't know whether that was suppose to be an order or what, but she decided if he needed to be informed on the behalf of the Kazekage, then she should._

"_But why didn't the Kazekage say anything to me first?"_

_She asked herself confused._

((end flashback))

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at this. "…" he said nothing.

"The Kazekage wanted Hiashi to kill Gaara, but his plans soured. As a result of being attacked, Gaara decided to kill the entire Hyuuga clan, and anyone else in his way. Simple solution. But Kazekage-sama didn't include that my village could suffer because of that." Tsunade said. "I guess I'll be speaking with him." said Tsunade. "You are dismissed Kakashi."

Kakashi nodded, and jumped off.

Kurenai sat in the corner of the room, waiting until Tsunade needed her.

"Kurenai…" Tsunade finally said.

"Yes, Hokage-sama?" Kurenai asked.

"Keep hinata away from them. They will try to include her in these schemes now that she's involved with Gaara." said Tsunade. "I know it will happen soon enough. The question is when though." said Tsunade.

" " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "

This is the end of Hinata's story! So now, Chapter 16 will be Gaara's. I hope you all will read the sequel. Oh, and to answer someone's question, the sequel will be rated M for sex and heavy violence. I don't think that should stay rated T if you know what I mean.

Gaara : ((gags))

Gaarazlilmiss : You'll have different opinions in three years. Your only 14, so what do you expect?

Gaara : I hate you

Hinata : ((Blushes))

Gaarazlilmiss : ((Sigh)) whatever…


	16. unchanged but changed

Ai (love)?

Gaarazlilmiss

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in Naruto, only this story and everything said in it.

This is the last chapter for this story, so we're one step closer to getting to that sequel! This is Gaara's chapter, because I dedicated chapter 15 to Hinata. Hope you all like it!

Gaara : …I'm not coming for the sequel

Gaarazlilmiss : You have no choice.

Hinata : I'd love to see how the sequel turns out Lilmiss-San.

Gaarazlilmiss : Thank you Hinata. Anyway, Chapter 16.

Chapter 16 : Unchanged but changed

Gaara traveled through the desert alone. Kankuro and Temari were apparently still in Konohagakure, and he didn't care. He was tired of being around people. He tried to keep telling himself that he was happy Hinata and himself were no longer going to see each other. She had caused him to think too much, and maybe even go a little soft. Such strange thoughts, and ideas had filled his head, he thought he was loosing his mind.

The sands of the desert danced in the breeze when the dry wind blew, and the sun beamed down on him. Unlike the dreary looking Konoha, Suna was apparently lively and hot as always. He couldn't wait to go and give the Kazekage a piece of his mind. How could he try it again? How could they do this to him? Ruining his life seemed to be everyone's hobby nowadays. It was really pissing him off.

On the horizon, Gaara could see a figure approaching him, the heat waves obscuring the absolute view of them. Gaara squinted slightly and then relaxed his eyes when the person came into view more fully. It was a man, that was apparent. His face was scared, bloody, like he had just been beaten with spiked clubs. Gaara didn't know what to think about it, but the Shukaku did.

_**A desert straggler…maybe we should finish him off?**_

The shukaku asked teasingly. It got puzzled when Gaara didn't answer, but instead walked up to the man right when he dropped to the ground.

The man lifted his head up, not too far off the ground, and studied Gaara. "P-please…" said the man.

Gaara looked at him, confused. Before he had met Hinata, he would have looked at the man in disgust, and discarded him. But he couldn't help but feel…sympathy for him maybe…

"What happened?" he asked coolly. He hadn't lost that about him.

"Bandits…in the desert…took my…food and water…" the man said.

"Where were you going?" Gaara asked.

"Konoha…I live there." he said.

That made Gaara even more compelled to help him. Gaara took his canteen of water, and gave it to the man. "Drink it." said Gaara.

The man eagerly drank the water, not stopping until it was all gone. A little of his strength returned. "Thank you very much." he said standing up. His wounds were still terrible, but other than that, the man could walk. "You'll be to Konoha soon…make sure you see a medic about those wounds." Gaara said and started walking off. There really wasn't much more he could do.

_Did that man even realize who I was? Even still…he thanked me._

Gaara thought.

_I wonder what Hinata would have thought if she'd have seen that._

He thought again.

_**You STUPID fool of a BOY!!**_

The shukaku bellowed.

_**What is wrong with you!? That girl! I should have killed her when I had the chance…!**_

The shukaku said.

_**Why am I lending my powers to someone so weak!? Someone so easily persuaded to do things like this!?**_

The shukaku continued to fuss.

Gaara sighed.

_Calm down…I gave you part of what you wanted, so why don't you leave me alone for a minute?_

Gaara said in a bored-like voice.

_**HOW CAN I LEAVE YOU ALONE WHEN YOU'RE CHANGING INTO A SOFTIE EVERY MINUTE I DO!?**_

It asked.

Gaara didn't reply back.

_**You just wait…**_

The shukaku said as it sent pictures of a dead Hinata, a destroyed konohagakure, and Gaara completely transformed into the Shukaku.

Gaara grabbed his head, a pain seared through.

_Stop…playing games…with me!!_

Gaara said.

The Shukaku chuckled.

_**Fine. I want to get out of this desert anyway. I can only do that if you're walking, riiight?**_

The shukaku asked in a teasing manner, and then left.

Gaara sighed with relief as he began to walk again.

" " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "

"I wonder if Gaara is okay…" Kankuro said. He and Temari had left Konoha a short while ago, and were traveling back to Sunagakure. "We really shouldn't have let him go away like that on his own, but I didn't want him to kill me, you know, he was transformed into that thing." Kankuro finished.

Temari sighed. "Yeah, I know. How was Hinata?" she asked.

"She was…I don't know…" said Kankuro.

Temari grinned a little. "I know she likes out little Gaara now." said Temari with a smug smile at the end.

Kankuro looked at her funny. "You say that like he's your son or something!" Kankuro said.

"You know what I mean! Our little brother! But I think it's about time Gaara decided to come out of that little shell of his. I wonder if he's going back to Suna…?" Temari asked.

"At some point he should be." said Kankuro. "…That Kiba kid's gonna get himself killed if he keeps messing with Gaara." said Kankuro grimly. He remembered all the events that had taken place, well, that he knew of, and all of them had pertained to Kiba, Gaara, and Hinata in some way. "I think maybe there's a bit of competition going on Temari." he said.

"Naturally." Temari said. "Gaara's human too, you know." she said.

"Hn." Kankuro said. "Wonder how that's going…" he said.

"Only they know." Temari said.

" " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "

Gaara reached Suna about 4 hours after the incident with the injured man and Shukaku. Unlike the steady climate of Konoha, the temperatures in Sunagakure were monstrous, and it went from scorching heat to freezing cold in a second. The breeze was still dry, but now it was accompanied by cold. Gaara walked slowly towards the Kazekage's building, and up the stairs. His feet made echoes when they hit the marble like stairs. His shadow was huge upon the wall, as the candles on the wall opposite of it sent steady flames of light flickering and dancing when the wind blew.

Finally once he had gotten to his destination, he peeked in the door, seeing the Kazekage sitting at his desk writing something, and picking up a pair of spectacles so he could see better. "Hmmm." he said at one point. Gaara was tempted to let the Shukaku out and let it destroy the Kazekage for what he had just tried to pull, but didn't. He had done that one time already, and look how it had turned out.

Quietly walking away, or at least what he thought was pretty much quiet, the Kazekage's scribbling stopped, and he called out. "Gaara. Come back why don't you?" he asked in a pleasant tone, which sickened Gaara because it was so full of content, when his intentions where nothing but foul.

Gaara didn't stop walking.

"I am going to ask you again. Come back." the kazekage said in a slightly strained tone this time, as if he were trying not to yell at him in frustration.

Gaara turned around. "Why bother? You wanted me to die, didn't you? Why do you want me to come back to you? You think I'm a fool?" he asked cool as ice.

There was a long silence. Finally, Gaara heard the Kazekage standing up, and then he slid the door all the way open, making his way out into the hallway to see Gaara. "You're a quizzical one aren't you? Gaara, I did not intend to kill you, only test you." he said with a cheesy smile.

Gaara stared at him, glare growing. "Don't test me now…I'm not in the mood, and I'll kill you if you continue to." he said.

The Kazekage looked at Gaara and frowned. "You're not going to last here…when you think you're safe, you'll never be. One day Gaara…someone will kill you. If you killed me now, it wouldn't matter because you will never be safe from your fate. Someone, even if I don't tell them to, WILL want you gone." the Kazekage said as he slammed his door.

"What makes him think I'll roll over and die so easily?" Gaara asked as he turned around and walked into his own room. He plastered the door from inside with sand so that if anyone tried to open it, it would just be hitting a sand wall. He wanted to be alone. No one was to bother him, he needed his time to think…think about Hinata. How would he get her out of his head? Did he even want to?

"Hinata…what would you do?" Gaara asked himself.

_She'd probably roll over and cry her eyes out or something like that…or she might just push it all back and keep on going, only to break down later on._

He thought. Even with her fragile emotions, and her shy way of acting, Gaara could see strength in her. She was a role model, someone he actually admired. "She'll always be there…I won't ever forget her." he said. Someone like Hinata was to hard to forget. He knew even though he was still dodging all this hate around him, what Hinata had taught him was that you had to keep going. And what was it she made him realize was actually real and alive because she showed it to him? Ai.

" " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "

The Kazekage had summoned Baki to his room not too long after Gaara had exited. "He's starting to get on my last nerves and he's only just returned." said the Kazekage to Baki.

Baki remained silent and just listened.

"I'm going to do it." said the Kazekage. "That Hinata girl…we will give it a little time so it won't seem so obvious, but when the time comes, and they meet again, she is going to kill him. I don't think he'd want to kill her…and on top of that, even if her father perished, she has more sense than most think. She's capable of a lot, and how do we know this?" the Kazekage said. "She got Gaara to trust her."

Baki looked at him strangely.

"Someone like that can do a lot. If she's bold enough to approach him and then stay in contact with him, she'll be bold enough to kill him." said the Kazekage. "My time as Kazekage will soon be up. When that time comes, Baki…I want him to be appointed Kazekage. You make sure it happens. He'll visit Konoha more often if he becomes Kazekage, and then we will strike. Carry out those plans…" he said. "For now, we prepare."

_Would I really do this?_

Baki thought.

The day left questions unanswered and more questions uprooted. What the people would find out soon, is that Ai is a strong emotion, and it would take more than what they think it would to break such a bond between the two people.

Hinata.

Gaara.

" " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "

This is the end of story 1. I hope you all liked it, I honestly enjoyed writing it. Sequel will be out soon, and the story will be called "Trials". Thank you again!

Hinata : Arigato for reading this story!

Gaara : If you could actually sit at your computer screen and read this entire story, I applaude you.

Gaarazlilmiss : ((sigh)) He's a lost case. Oh well. Thank you once again, I just love reading your criticism and nice comments! They make me a better author, and they keep me wanting to write more. Watch out for "Trials" , thanks, an c ya!


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